Perseus Jackson: The Hero Chronicles
by Durza II
Summary: Post Titans Curse. Percy Jackson runs away, from life and duties. New courage comes on a strange island from a strange teacher. Life moves on for the people he left behind. Can Percy prove himself to everyone and defeat the Titan Lord and his great armies
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

"_I choose the prophecy."_

Those words had been haunting Percy all night. Why had he said that? Why on earth would he want to be responsible for the future of mankind? It was insane. He wasn't ready for that kind of pressure and he never would be. He was a fourteen year old boy and the lousiest hero there was. Only his sword skills and sheer dumb luck had kept him alive so far.

"Ugh," he groaned. He had been awake all night, thoughts milling through his head. He couldn't sleep. Suddenly he got up and dressed. He had this urge to leave camp. He needed time to think. After a few minutes he looked round his lonely cabin. He had packed a bag with all his clothes. Everything else he had left behind. From the Minotaur's horn he had acquired on the first night he had come to camp to the manticore tail he had cut off a few weeks previously. He crept out of the cabin and started walking toward the beach.

"Leaving? You do that a lot, you know. And you always then come back again, getting my hopes up for nothing." Percy resisted a groan and turned round. Dionysus was leaning against a tree at the edge of the forest. Heroes were not supposed to leave Camp without permission. The first time Dionysus had let him go, but Percy wasn't so sure about this time. He said nothing.

"Well," continued Dionysus, "it seems I do owe you a favour for imprisoning Atlas once again, preventing me from being forced by Father to go to war with those ancient old men, the Titans. Go, Peter Johnson. I have better things to do than talk to half-bloods. Humph, the wine dude indeed. " Percy's eyes widened. With a hard conviction Percy suddenly knew that Dionysus was aware of who Nico's god-father was. How long before Mount Olympus knew there was another child out there who posed a threat to them?

"How did you know?" Percy asked, but Dionysus had already vanished. He shook his head. Grover had been right. You can't keep anything from gods. How long before the gods knew Hades' son was out there, ready for the plucking should Kronos wish it? He shook his head. He could already feel more trouble coming. He turned around and continued toward the beach. Once there he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

_Come to me!_ He shouted the thought as loud as he could so as to summon any sea creature that would hear him. He briefly reflected he could have taken a Pegasus, but then that would have been stealing from the camp and would also entail travelling in the sky, and the last thing he wanted was Zeus shooting lightning bolts at him for some entertainment. A few minutes passed before a very large sea horse pushed its head above the water. Without getting wet, Percy went to it and slung his legs over its back.

_Where to, sire? _It asked.

_Anywhere,_ he replied.

XXX

It was morning and another day at camp. Annabeth and her cabin joined the rest of the camp for a morning jog around the borders of camp. Last night Chiron had introduced a new training regime for the campers. With danger growing in the world, the heroes needed to be ready for anything. To that effect Chiron had vowed to make them heroes equal to those of Hercules's time.

"Where's Percy?" Annabeth wondered afterward. She was standing next to Marcy, another Athena camper, and both were panting heavily. Even for Annabeth, a good athlete, running over thirty miles was no pushover. That was more than what professionals ran in a marathon! But since they were half-bloods they could endure more than mortals. But still, thirty miles was a long run. And that was only a "light morning jog", according to Chiron.

"Come on people!" Chiron shouted. "Ancient Greek heroes had to endure worse than this. And I'd hate to think human blood has thinned over the millennia. You're better than this. Now I want another lap around camp. _Now!_" They all groaned but the expression on Chiron's face set them running again. Annabeth quickly ran over to Chiron.

"Chiron, where's Percy? I haven't seen him all morning." Chiron looked down at her and his stone set face softened.

"I was hoping to tell you this evening, once I'd had time to digest it myself, but…"

"What, Chiron?" she asked, getting worried. "What is it?"

"Well, it's Percy," Chiron explained. "He's run away from camp. Mr. D saw him leave last night. He told me this morning." Annabeth could only stare slack-jawed at Chiron. Chiron shook his head sadly.

"We can only pray to the gods that he is alright, wherever he is." With that Chiron moved away from Annabeth and started running after the jogging heroes.

"Come on, Sam! Push yourself as if your whole life depended on it. That's the only way heroes survive. Get used to it!" 

Annabeth watched the scene with disbelieving eyes. How could Chiron dismiss Percy like that? But then her logical mind kicked in. Chiron had been alive for millennia. All the heroes he had trained, such as Ajax and Achilles, had died, and whether it was because of old age or some nastier means it didn't matter. He had learnt to deal with it. But she hadn't. She stood there frozen, and then she started running in a desperate attempt to do something with herself. But still thoughts plagued her mind. How could Percy just have left?

XXX

_I must go back to my herd, sire._

_Of course. Sorry for keeping you away so long. Thank you._

_It was my pleasure, sire. Farewell._

Percy rolled off the sea horse and he felt himself being dragged to the sea bed by the weight of his bag. He watched the sea horse swim back the way they had come. He waved farewell, pinched himself and finally found the energy to propel him upwards. He looked around but there was a storm and the clouds were obscuring his view of anything. He shrugged and sank back underneath the water. He floated there for a moment before he chose a direction and started swimming west. Since he didn't want to tire himself out he used a technique he had developed over the years and used his control of the water to propel himself forward. In a few minutes he was swishing through the water at over 60 knots. He didn't know where he was going. Maybe that was best. That way no one would be able to find him seeing as he himself didn't know where he was going.

XXX

"Did you hear? That weakling Percy ran away from camp. I always knew he was a coward!" Clarisse's contempt was clear in her voice.

"Maybe he went looking for that Nico kid," suggested another Ares camper. "I hear the kid's sister died in the god's junkyard. It must have been tough on him. How old was Nico again? Ten?"

"He's a half-blood," admonished Clarisse. "Life is tough for half-bloods. If he wants to survive he's gonna have to learn to deal with it. And do you really think Percy went to look for Nico? From what I hear, Mr. D caught him running for the safety of the sea! Maybe he was hoping his dear daddy would keep him safe!" The whole Ares bunch started laughing at that.

Annabeth sat there and said nothing. How could she? For all she knew they were probably right. It was afternoon and everyone was tired and ready to drop. Chiron had put them through their paces alright, that and more. It was like being at a military training camp for the actual military. Chiron had said there was a lot they needed to learn and there was much ground to cover if they were going to be prepared for whatever was coming. She sighed and drank the last of her cold water. Training would end at nine at night. She looked up at the weary campers. They were in for a storm alright. As she scanned the camp, her eyes caught something in the distance. She focused on it and she simply couldn't believe what she was seeing. She stood up on the table to get a better view.

"What are you doing?" Clarisse shouted over to her from the Ares table. Clarisse looked in the same direction and her eyes couldn't believe it as well.

"What in Hades…? Is that someone at the camp's borders?" Everyone heard her exclamation and looked. She was right. There was someone at the camp's borders. 

"If that person can't enter then they're obviously a monster. Come on!" It only took seconds but by then most of the campers were on their way up the slight hill toward Thalia's tree. Annabeth was right there with them, right at the front. It wasn't because she thought this person was a monster. There was just something about him she couldn't place. As they got closer to the tree the person turned round and faced them. It was a boy, maybe fifteen or so. He seemed shocked to see a horde of teenagers coming at him with swords and bows and spears and all other assorted nasty weaponry. He stepped past the tree and waved a furtive hand at the massive group that had formed in front of him.

"Um … hello?" 

Clarisse attacked. She ran forward with her broadsword and slashed at his head. He yelped and ducked underneath. At the same time his hand flashed forward and gripped Clarisse's wrists. He used her own momentum and swung her around forcing her arms crossed over her chest. When she was in front of him he applied pressure to her wrists. She dropped her sword.

"Get off me, monster," Clarisse growled. He raised an eyebrow.

"Monster? Who's the one attacking an unarmed boy here?" She growled and tried to wrestle him off. He held on. Clarisse was a big and very strong girl, and yet this lean boy could hold her down. Some Ares campers started walking forward. The boy let her go and stepped back with his arms raised in an "I mean you no harm" gesture.

"Kill him," Clarisse growled.

"No!" Annabeth shouted as she stepped forward. "He's not a monster. He managed to cross the border. Look for yourself. He's past Thalia's tree. And the sword remained substantial when you tried to attack him. So that means…"

"He's a half-blood," finished Clarisse as she got up. She glared at him before going to collect her sword and sheath it. She turned back to him. "Who are you?"

"My name is Jon," he answered with a smile. Clarisse's stiff manner lightened somewhat.

"I'm Clarisse," she said. She extended her hand and Jon shook it.

"Nice to meet you," he said. He turned toward Annabeth. "And you are?"

"Annabeth," she said. They shook hands. 

"It seems I owe you my life. I didn't fancy much being at the end of that sword." Annabeth smiled. But then her mind kicked in again. "What are you doing here? It's not everyday half-bloods simply turn up at camp. Did your god-parent tell you to come here?"

"Yes," he replied, "although he didn't exactly _tell_ me. I followed a very large boar that prodded me very sharply every time I went the wrong way. I took that as a sign. It just disappeared over there. That's why I was looking around. And then I heard you and turned round and there it was – my destination." By now everyone had eased up. And then it hit them. A red boar. That was the symbol for…

"Ares," Clarisse whispered. "You're a son of Ares." Jon turned to her and smiled.

"Yep," he said.

XXX

Percy dragged himself onto the beach. He had been travelling for all night and most of the day. When it had reached morning he had started dozing and had lost speed. To keep himself awake he had started peddling instead but that had only worked for a few hours. He had resorted to propelling again, and this time his mind had been slipping in and out of consciousness as he went. He knew he had drifted off course. One moment he had dozed off and came to in an icy sea, the next he had come to in very warm water and now he was in another stormy patch of water. And at last he had completely fallen asleep and let the currents take them where they willed. Thanks to his parentage he had not drowned, but he hoped never to test his powers like that ever again. Who knew what could happen? For all he knew his power of water only worked when he was conscious enough to control it.

But now he was awake and on the beach of an unknown place. He dragged himself until he was clear of the tide and then let himself slump on the dry sand. He turned round and looked at the sky. He knew he would fall unconscious soon. He looked up at the stars. So far away and yet so close and so coldly apathetic. They had seen so much. He identified the new constellation created by Artemis, Zoë the Huntress. He knew somehow that when it was discovered by mankind it would be named just that. No other name suited Artemis better for one of her loyal servants. Blackness started to invade his vision.

That was when he saw him. The man. He was easily seven feet tall. He wore some very strange clothing, like he'd come straight from the Dark Ages; leggings and tunics and boots and armor and the lot. Percy knew he'd lost it then. All that seawater must have gotten to his head. The giant man came to stand by him and knelt down. Percy's heart skipped a beat as he gazed into bottomless black eyes. There were no eye whites, no irises and no pupils. Just blackness. And then the giant man spoke.

"Welcome, Perseus. I have been awaiting your arrival for a while now." Percy blacked out.

XXX

When Percy woke up he was in a cave. He looked around in confusion. What had happened to the cabin? And then the incidents of the last two days hit him. What had he been thinking leaving camp? Kronos and his minions were out there and he was unprotected and ripe for the plucking! He needed to get back to camp as soon as possible.

"I could change that." Percy looked left in alarm. At the back of the cave sat the giant man he remembered seeing last night. He looked into those black eyes and shivered.

"Who are you? And change what exactly?" Percy did not like the feeling he was getting from this guy.

"My name is Aracnan. And by change I mean I could change you. You fear the Titan Lord and his army. You even now seek to return to the safety of your peers. I can see it in your eyes."

"Of course I want to return to camp. I can't deal with the horde Kronos could send after me. If he can make Luke survive a twenty foot fall then I don't want to face whatever else he can conjure up!" Aracnan shook his head.

"Such weakness. And pardon me, but aren't you the child who chose the prophecy? How do you hope to accomplish anything with such an attitude? You must learn to harness you inner power and get strong enough to fight whatever the Titan Lord throws at you, or so human phrase it these days, correct?" Percy shook his head and tried to stand up but instantly he was hit by a wave of nausea. He sat back down and rested his head on the cave wall.

"I did choose the prophecy. And even though I want to ask how you know that, my head is spinning in circles so I'm not even sure I would understand. There is nothing you can do to help me. I do intend to get strong enough to do whatever it is I have to."

"It's easy how I know you chose the prophecy. You are your father's son, and the sea does not like being controlled, yes? And I know how the Titan Lord would do things. I'm assuming by now you don't like him much so it's natural you would want to oppose him."

"So it was guess work basically," Percy said.

Aracnan shrugged. "Pretty much."

"Last night … you said you had been waiting for me. How did you know I would end up here?"

"The prophecy," Aracnan answered. That perked Percy up. He looked at Aracnan intently.

"You know about the prophecy? How?"

"I am in it. It says you shall come to me half dead and alone and so you have. And it says it shall be my duty to make sure you're ready for your duty on your sixteenth birthday."

"It says that?" Percy answered incredulously.

"Of course not. You should know how prophecies work by now young one. It's in riddles, but I heard of it and managed to decipher the meaning. I hid myself before any of the gods managed to hear it and decipher it. How would they feel if they knew I would train the person that might aid in their destruction?"

"They would kill you," agreed Percy. Aracnan nodded.

"While on this island no man or god can find us for we are entwined in the movement of the cosmos itself. Time can stand still or reverse or move incredibly fast, so don't be surprised if you see a dinosaur one day. But it's a very large island and the most dangerous things are on the other side of the island. I will send you there to polish up your training before we leave this island."

"You are acting as if I said I believed you and I was staying," Percy said. Aracnan looked into his eyes.

"That's because I know you will. You have lost too much not to take this opportunity. Friends have died in front of you and if you don't want that to happen again you will stay. Do not think I enjoy being cooped up on this place. Once I finish with you the gods will not harm me for it will serve no purpose and I will be more valuable on their side. Besides, you know as well I that prophecies cannot be fought. You shall stay one way or another, so why not pick the easier option?" Percy sighed in exasperation but deep down he agreed.

"Fine," he said. Aracnan nodded. Percy's mind briefly drifted back to Annabeth and Grover. He would not see them, not at least until he was sixteen, for that was when the prophecy would come true.

"Don't worry. You'll not be here for long, though it will seem like it. You have latent talent and if pushed you can achieve great results. But I am a worse taskmaster than that centaur Chiron. And unlike him I shall take you many places once your training is finished so that you can get a first hand experience of fighting monsters and other worse such things. The Great Stirring has begun so it wouldn't surprise me if great beasts of the past will walk among us once more." Percy groaned. All this talk of doom and such was not doing any good for his nausea. Aracnan gave him a thin smile.

"Things are just getting started for you, my young hero. I shall make a warrior out of you yet." Percy decided to go to sleep. The way this guy was talking, he doubted he would have much time to sleep during his stay. The last thoughts in his head were about his friends, and how long it would be until he next saw them. 

XXX

"Hey, Annabeth."

Annabeth turned round and saw Jon walking toward her. It had been six months since that day they first met. In that time the campers had improved much, especially Jon. Chiron's almost militant training had transformed Jon from a moderately handsome and strong hero into a Greek god, figuratively of course. Right now without his shirt on and with sweat on his body he looked … well, you get the picture. She blushed and smiled.

"Hey, Jon," she said. She put down all her gear. That was another thing. Chiron had insisted they wear proper ancient armor at all times. That way they would get used to it and it wouldn't seem so much a hindrance when fighting.

"How did you enjoy another one of Chiron's exercises?"

"Hauling a boulder up the lava filled climbing rock with harpies trying to eat you? Not very much." Jon laughed.

"You get used to it after a while though," he said. "But I dread what Chiron will think up next." Annabeth laughed at that.

"Yeah," she agreed. "He's got a very twisted mind, and he's supposed to be a centaur!" They both laughed and Jon stepped closer. He was smiling at her. Annabeth felt slightly flustered.

"So what are you doing tonight?" he asked.

"You mean apart from that massive essay Chiron wants handed in tomorrow?" Jon's mouth formed an O. "I guess you forgot about that," she continued with a smile.

"Yeah," he said rubbing his head. "Think you could help me? I'm good with fighting and other such stuff but I can't even read Ancient Greek properly!" Annabeth laughed.

"I guess you know what I'm doing tonight then," she answered. Jon's smile widened.

"I guess so," he said. Suddenly someone shouted his name and they both jumped back. He looked and saw it was his cabin mates. "Time for the next exercise I guess. I'll see you tonight then," he said as he walked away.

"Tonight," she agreed. Her heart suddenly felt aflutter.

A hundred metres away Clarisse watched with an amused expression. So it seemed that little Annabeth might be getting some action. She laughed. About time. That loser Percy had been bad news from the start. She could use some strong Ares to show her how things were done.

"Come on," she said to the rest of her cabin. "If we're late I'd hate to see what punishment Chiron cooks up. If it's as bad as the last one I think I'll faint. Cleaning the Pegasi's stables indeed!"

"What about Jon?" someone called. Clarisse shrugged.

"If he's strong enough to start learning magic with some of us then he should be able to catch up. But I certainly won't risk being caught. Now let's move! Double time!" They all started running for the archery range where they would learn with the Hephaestus cabin.

From Thalia's tree a woman and a man watched unnoticed. The woman smiled.

"You are a great hero, Perseus," she muttered. "And every great hero needs a great love story. This might not be an ancient Greek love story but it will do. I told you I would make this hard. If you want Annabeth then you're going to have to work hard to get her. And you _are_ going to get her. I'll make sure of that. I do so love happy endings." With a last glance at a smiling Annabeth she turned and vanished in a conflagration of flowers. Beside her a man in leather briefly glanced at Annabeth before his flaming eyes turned on the bare chest boy called Jon.

"Don't fail me, son," he said before he vanished in a burst of flame.

XXX

"You are a son of Poseidon, aren't you?" Percy said as he gazed at Aracnan. Aracnan looked at him.

"How did you come to that conclusion?" he asked. Percy shrugged.

"Call it a gut feeling." 

Aracnan shrugged but didn't answer. Percy left him alone and looked forward. They were in a boat. The island was fast retreating behind them. And where were they off too? The Sea of Monsters. And from there? The Underworld. And from there? No one knew. But Aracnan was determined to do his duty. Percy's training was nearly complete. He had been given a list of one hundred and one things to do and no time limit. But Percy had flourished under Aracnan's tuition and the handy timeless state of the island. He had learnt all that Aracnan could have taught him. But learning and practicing were two different things. He needed to prove himself a true hero before he could walk back to camp with pride.

"We aren't going fast enough, Percy, and Circe will be leaving for her winter home soon." Percy understood. The first thing on the list was to get one of Circe's bracelets. It had been made from a now extinct tree, a very rare tree, and that made it very valuable and powerful. They needed to reach her while she was still in the open. Once Circe reached her winter home she would be in her own domain and Percy would have next to no chance of accomplishing his goal. And he was determined to complete his list in a few months. He brought his palms together and closed his eyes. He was on the sea. He didn't need to see to know where he was going. That night he had washed ashore he had been disorientated so he didn't know where he was. But now he knew exactly where he was and how to get to the Sea of Monsters. The water behind the boat suddenly started propelling them forward and a sea wind filled their sails. He calculated they would be at Circe's resort in three hours.

_I'm coming to get my revenge, Circe. No one turns me into a hamster and gets away with it._ Percy suddenly got a vision of two people in his mind. Although his control of the winds and water did not falter, he was disturbed. He knew one of those people. She had changed. She was taller and her hair longer and she seemed to shine from within. But it was definitely her; Annabeth. And she was kissing a boy, some kid he didn't know. For some reason he felt … saddened? He couldn't describe it. Nothing he had learnt from Aracnan or his great store of knowledge could help him with this. He shook it off, although he could swear he heard a woman laughing in his head. It was gone in a moment.

"That vision was a true one. It's happening right now." Percy did not open his eyes nor turn round.

"How do you know I had a vision?" he asked.

"The set of your shoulders. You father's blood makes you susceptible to some vision for it was he who first possessed the Oracle of Delphi. And every time you have one a knot comes into your right shoulder. I have been training you to access and use every power you blood grants and you have become quite good at using this fore vision in battle. But still you are the son of the sea god and therefore unpredictable."

"There's a difference between unpredictable and … whatever I saw."

"True. I thought I smelt something. Someone must be sending you this vision." Percy suddenly remembered something. What seemed so long ago, in that limousine? Was that what Aphrodite meant? Did she think something was between Annabeth and him? Preposterous.

"That's one lesson you have to learn that I can't teach."

"And what's that," Percy grumbled.

"Love always leads to ruin. Look at Helen of Troy and Paris."

"Didn't they get together in the end?" he countered belligerently. He knew what his master would say. He thought the same thing also.

"At the cost of thousands of lives in Greece and Troy," Aracnan said. Percy said nothing to that. Whatever. He had better things to worry about than love. Suddenly he looked forward to completing his quests. While number one tested his stealth and ingenuity – getting the bracelet off Circe – number two would test his strength. Fighting a horde of ancient monsters to get a chunk of meteorite and moon sapphires wasn't the most exciting thing but it would keep him occupied. He wondered why most of these tasks had weird objectives but he didn't ask. He had learnt not to ask questions so long ago. He would find out when the time was right. Something changed in him then. His whole body relaxed. His mind seemed to focus more. His face became impassive. Simply put, he was a hero on a mission.


	2. Chapter 2: The Ninja

Seven months later…

_**Six months later…**_

Camp began as normal. It had taken a few months but by no every hero was used to Chiron's early morning exercises. Starting the day bright and early at four o'clock, the heroes ran twenty laps around the boundaries of the Camp. By now they had gotten used to the excruciating morning exercises Chiron set. Of course, the moment they seemed to get the hang of one thing, Chiron immediately set them to another new exercise. As expected, there was a lot of moaning and complaining, but deep down everybody liked it. Finally they felt like they were training to become the heroes they knew they could be.

"All right!" Chiron shouted when they had finished. "You all know where you should be and what you should be doing. Move it!" Hearts thumping, the campers set about to do their duties.

Camp had grown in seven months. If a mortal inspector where to come and investigate, which was impossible anyway because of the Camp's magical protections, they would claim that the Camp was as normal as ever, in terms of geography. However, they would be wrong. The Campers didn't fully know exactly how it had happened, but what they did know what that one morning a few months back, Camp's physical boundaries had doubled in size. But all that space had been swallowed up pretty quickly as more Campers arrived and three new cabins were built. Other people arrived as well, including a Clan of Amazons from the area formerly known as Scythia, in the west, an area which is now known eastern Ukraine. Several tribes of centaurs had made their way into the Forest, and there had been an influx of Dryads and Nereids. With so many people seeking refuge at camp, the reason for the Gods' gift became obvious.

Of course these new residents had to earn their keep, so the first stipulation of their stay was that they all teach the Campers something. With this new knowledge of the ancient ways, the Campers were very pleased with their own growth in skill. Of course Chiron was not very satisfied, and he told them so. A complacent warrior was a dead warrior.

"Unarmed combat with the Amazons," Annabeth said to Sam, a fellow Athena.

"You're the only one who likes that lesson – apart from Clarisse," Sam groaned.

"It's not my fault if I'm naturally gifted," Annabeth said.

"And of the Amazons hate all males," Sam continued as if Annabeth hadn't spoken. Annabeth gave a little laugh. He was always whining, despite his unusual talent for unarmed combat. The Athena cabin made its way to the Amazons, which was a five mile jog. The Amazons insisted of having their peace and privacy. If someone wanted to be taught by them, that person had to sacrifice a little walking time. The Amazons lived in the forest, the north-east to be exact. This part was quite densely populated by trees and so the Amazons had to adapt and live _in_ the trees. Their tree houses were quite difficult to spot, which suited the Amazons quite well. They had gotten tired of one girl after another coming to them and asking to join. The Amazon code was quite clear; godlings were nothing but trouble.

XXX

"You're late," said the Amazon who greeted them. This Amazon also happened to be the Clan Leader. She looked to be about forty years old but her hair was still jet black and there were barely any crow's feet on the corner of her eyes. Her face was impassive, as usual, but she also carried an air of complete boredom. Annabeth always got frustrated when she came near the Leader. The woman treated them all like they were inadequate.

"Our apologies," Sam said. Annabeth knew Sam was trying to anger Lorna, the Clan Leader. All men were treated with hatred and suspicion at best. Having to put up with males and teach them some of their ways had turned this normal hatred and suspicion into barely concealed war. Every cabin now had an elected male who spoke to the Amazons. This male was also a good fighter, just in case a … skirmish erupted. Of course, matching an Amazon in combat was unheard of, especially for young teenagers, but they had to do _something_.

"Hm," Lorna muttered. "Very well. Today you shall begin the next stage of the Dance of the Lotus. Form up in ranks of three and we can begin." The Athena Campers formed up quickly and got into the ready stance. As usual, they began their warm up exercise, which Lorna had said would take five minutes if done properly, and as usual no cabin had mastered them. Twelve minutes later, panting slightly, the Campers were ready.

XXX

"First of all-" Lorna was interrupted by the arrival of two Amazons. They had between them an irregular form. Lorna frowned.

"We found it one a few hundred metres that way," said the Amazon named Bohdana. She westwards.

"It seems alive, though barely," said the other Amazon named Boyka. Lorna nodded and went to investigate the still form between the two Amazons.

"It's a man!" Sam shouted as he managed to peer underneath the blankets the man. The other Campers started buzzing at that.

"Shouldn't he be at the Big House?" another Camper muttered. Lorna rounded on them in an instant.

"Since this _man_," Lorna said with a sneer, "managed to get past the boundaries, he is obviously not mortal. Whatever else he might be, he invaded our territory. It's our right to hold him and question him."

"But he might have gotten lost on his way to the Big House!" Sam countered.

"And he technically invaded Camp border before he invaded yours," Annabeth found herself saying. Lorna turned to her and frowned.

"Be that as it may," Lorna replied, "we will hold to our tradition."

"And what is your tradition?" Sam asked, slightly stepping forward. Lorna's face went dark.

"Our tradition is to kill all male invaders. Our ground is sacred. No man is meant to set foot on it. And before you say anything, none of the male campers are of age yet so they can get away with at our discretion. This man is clearly of age and therefore we shall prosecute him as is our way."

There was a sudden hail of black _things_. Annabeth's eyes weren't fast enough to see what exactly they were, but she got an instant recognition of danger. The black things were aimed at the three Amazons. For the first time the Campers were able to see the full skill of the Amazon fighters. The Amazons seemed to turn into water and ripple away from the attack. They all jumped back from the attack and then back flipped to add distance. Annabeth and every other Athena was able to see the shock on the Amazons' faces as their attack came in from _behind_ them and not from the direction of the shuriken, for that's what the black projectiles had been.

The black blur of the attacker jumped over the Amazons, twisting in the air so as to face the Amazons when they landed. Even as their feet touched the ground, the attacker's hands thrust outwards and more black projectiles flashed forwards. This time Annabeth could just make out the triangular spearhead shape of kunai. Even as she registered this, her quick mind began to wonder what kind of attacker would attack Amazons, and what's more attack them with Oriental weapons. Again the Amazons managed to dodge the kunai, but just barely. Their attacker had caught them off-guard.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," a male voice said.

XXX

Alex – for that was the codename that had been agreed he use for the time being – came back to the camp with a feeling of dread. He had learnt to listen to his gut instinct and so he gently dropped the dead logs he had picked up for a smokeless camp fire. He made sure not to leave them lying about in case someone happened across them. He scattered them so that it would take close investigation to know someone had piled them up. He then looked into up into the trees. Height would be his best advantage in this unknown territory. He silently shimmied up the tree, his movements as deft as those of a monkey, although no where near as fast. He got into the canopy before he slowly made his way to their campsite. His fears were confirmed.

Hidden behind several trees were female warriors. He looked at their attire, which seemed to be from the later Roman civilization. They were Amazons, it seemed. They were well-trained, too, and disciplined. They made no movements and they were completely focused. But they made one mistake anyone was liable to make. They never anticipated an attack from above. But Alex was not interested in attacking them. He had noticed at once the absence of his companion – whose agreed codename was John. Alex quickly ran through what he knew of Amazons, which was quite a lot considering the increased secrecy of Amazons in this day and age. He frowned. John's life was in danger. In John's weakened condition the Amazons would be able to subdue him easily. Alex shook his head slightly. He had told John to stop, recover and then catch up. Never mind that now.

Alex moved from tree to tree, his route slowly widening in a spiral until he had investigated the entire area. There was a total of five Amazons, all relatively young, none over 20. Good news for him because it meant he could take them all. Bad news because it meant they had figured out this camp was for two people and they had only accounted for one. John had already been taken away. He needed to find where John was, and quick. Alex reached for a branch and broke off a piece of bark. He threw it far behind one Amazon. As expected, the alert Amazon sensed the movement, as did the others. With a nod from another Amazon – the leader of this group, apparently – the Amazon went to investigate. Percy made a note of the leader's position before he started moving again. It took him two minutes before he was above the leader. He lowered himself gently, his senses alert. This was the most dangerous part.

With one hand he dropped a piece of bark he had picked up. The Amazon turned round in a flash, her eyes flashing everywhere. Alex dropped down to the ground, behind her. As she was turned around Alex pinched a nerve bundle in her neck. The Amazon blacked out immediately. That was one of the most important rules of warfare. If you take out the leader, it creates confusion you can use later. Alex quickly took out some twine and tied it around the Amazon's limbs before climbing back up into the tree. He picked up more bark and threw it. An Amazon looked at the leader for confirmation to investigate. Alex manipulated the twine strings carefully so that the Amazon under his control nodded, once. He then made a big gamble and made her turn her head to another Amazon and nodded her head again. He had to stop himself from sighing in relief as the two Amazons made their way out to investigate. Alex had to move fast now. He tied the strings to a branch and then quickly made his way to the final Amazon. He dropped down next to her and knocked her sword from her hands. He pinched her neck just below her left ear and she fell down as her body was paralyzed.

"Where have they taken him?" Alex asked, purposefully making his voice deeper and more menacing. As he had guessed, this Amazon was relatively new at the whole game. The fright was clear in her white face and large eyes. She tried to make some form of resistance but Alex hit her. Her whimpers had Alex feeling guilty but he set his mind on the matter. John's life was in danger. The Amazon made an indication with her head and Alex was off, running toward the camp, his footfalls making no sound on the forest floor.

XXX

Alex was once again using the trees to his advantage. He looked down and saw a group of teenagers. Athena Campers, he knew. He felt a twinge in is heart and quelled it instantly. He concentrated on the Amazons. The moment he heard one of them say, "… prosecute him as is our way," he pulled five shuriken from his pouch, which was tied to his waist and hung next to his hip. He threw the shuriken at the three Amazons. He didn't wait around and jumped from branch to branch until he was behind the Amazons. It took him only a few seconds, and in those seconds everyone's attention was riveted on where he _had been_. He jumped down so he was behind the Amazons, took a few steps and then flipped over them. As he twisted round to face them while still in the air, he pulled out six kunai from his pouch, three in each hand. He landed and threw the kunai in the same movement. Four of the kunai managed to find their targets and pin two of the Amazons to tree trunks.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," he said. His throws were powerful and pinned the Amazons perfectly. It would take them a little time to get out of that predicament. But he needed to make sure they were completely immobile. And so ignoring the last Amazon who studying him, he pulled out two pairs of special shuriken from his pouch. Each shuriken was bonded to another by a two meter length of twine. He twirled each pair in each hand before throwing them. Both pairs raced toward the two bound Amazons. The shuriken were spread apart so that when the twine hit the Amazons, the shuriken twirled around them and around the trees. The shuriken twirled round three times before they finally embedded themselves into the tree trunks.

Alex turned his attention to the last Amazon, who was now rushing toward him. Alex was awed by the prowess of the Amazons. They moved like eels in water, and he knew they were strong, too. Alex didn't tense, not wanting to give the Amazon any warning. He waiting before suddenly jumped forward. The Amazon moved with the motion and swung her sword at his neck. Alex waited until the last second before revealing a golden fountain pen that had been hidden in his right hand. The pen grew in a millisecond from a fountain pen to a meter long longsword. He saw instant comprehension in the Amazon's eyes. His reach was greater than hers. His counterattack would reach her before her attack reached him. She had committed herself to the attack and couldn't move away in time. Instead of cutting at her though, he hit her temple with the flat of his sword. She was unconscious to the ground even as her body continued with its own momentum and her sword flashed a millimeter from his neck. She dropped to the ground.

Alex wasted no time. The Athena campers were still rooted on the spot, their eyes taking in this strange sight. He went to John and put his arm over his neck. Alex then extended his right hand. On his right hand was a black and purple, metal and leather vambraces. He tensed his arm and whispered a soft word. A cord shot forth and embedded itself into a high branch fifty meters away. Alex felt the instant pull as the vambraces started retracting the pin dart attached at the end of the cord. Alex and John were lifted off the ground and pulled into the canopy.

"… ugh," Lorna groaned. Everyone was staring at where the two figures had disappeared. The two tied Amazons' eyes were near enough bulging.

"Um…" Sam uttered. "Wow."

XXX

After ten minutes of navigating, Alex finally found a safe place to set John down. John was not in good shape. All the rough handling had deteriorated his already bad health. He needed treatment, now. Alex gritted his teeth. He had no choice now but to go to the one place he hadn't to go for at least another year. John had insisted on coming into the Camp's borders because they would be safe from monsters while John recuperated. They had planned on leaving as soon as John's health returned to normal. Now Alex had to take John to Camp to be treated, immediately. With a sigh, Alex lifted John and started walking toward the Big House.

XXX

Chiron looked down at the Athena Campers and the eight Amazons with something akin to shock on his face.

"So let me get this straight," he finally said after he had heard all of their stories. "A patrol found a campsite within the forest. They found an unconscious man. Two of them decided to bring the man to Lorna for judgement on what to do with them. The rest lay in wait for the other camper but somehow they were all tricked and the second in command of the patrol was knocked unconscious. The second camper managed to gain the location of the Amazons' home and then proceeded to rescue the unconscious man from the clutches of the Amazon Clan Leader before making a hasty get-away, leaving an unconscious Clan Leader, two tied up Amazons and a group of wide-eyed Athena camper … I see." Chiron's tone was one of astonishment, but more than that it was one of mockery and laughter.

"Yes," Lorna said, her expression set in stone. Chiron took a deep breath to steady himself. He didn't want to laugh in the face of an Amazon Clan Leader. While Amazons were mortal, they all possessed an inner power that made them quite dangerous. To be a Clan Leader was to be a great warrior.

"Very well then," Chiron said after a few seconds. "Can you describe this assailant for me?"

One of the Amazons stepped forward to answer. She described the assailant as she remembered him. She could still clearly see his jet black shoulder length hair. Because of the pace of events, she hadn't managed to pick out any feature with certainty. His unusual dress code was still with her, though. She remembered the strange sandals he wore, which looked more like mini boots. The sandals were black and left his toes and the back of his feet uncovered. What was the point in such footwear if they didn't protect the entire foot? The guy had worn black trousers which seemed more substantial than normal ones, as if made from canvas or some such material. From mid-shin and downwards, the guy's trousers were tucked into the leather tubes of his sandals/mini boots. He had also worn a black sleeveless jacket, and a long sleeved polo neck sweater could be seen underneath. And then there were those vambraces the guy had worn on both forearms. They were patterned with black and purple, made with metal and leather. They were quite thick, and now the Amazon knew why, seeing as they contained a strong and complex mechanism within them. The guy had worn a brown oval pouch on his right hip, and it seemed the pouch contained his weapons.

Chiron's eyebrows rose. From what the Amazon had just said, he could only draw one conclusion. But it was impossible. What the hell was one of them doing here?

"Do you know who this guy is?" Lorna asked, her eyes narrowed.

"I don't know _who_ he is," Chiron said, "But I know _what_ he is. He is a ninja, although I have trouble trying to decide why he is here. They generally tend to operate in Southeast Asia…" Chiron went quiet as he thought this through. In the corner of his right eye he caught Mr. D, whose facial expression had moved from bored to almost mournful.

"Do you know anything about this, Mr. D?" Chiron asked.

"Always getting my hopes up for nothing," Mr. D murmured absently. He shook his head and continued to analyze his pinochle game. Chiron knew trying to get information out of Mr. D was useless.

"What do you suggest we do, then?" Lorna asked. "This ninja has violated our grounds and declared war on us by attacking our warriors. We want retribution, preferably in the form of his life-blood."

"Aren't you feisty? I like it."

Everyone, apart from Mr. D, suddenly turned in shock. Crouched in perfect balance on the railing of the porch of the Big House was the ninja. His shoulder length black hair covered most of his facial features, leaving only his right eye and part of nose and mouth visible. In his hands he held an unconscious man. The Amazons got ready to fight, their weapons making quick leaps from sheaths to hands.

"Wait!" the ninja hissed. "Don't be hasty. First I have business with Chiron. After that we can party all night, ladies." The ninja gave a cold laugh and licked his lips, his right eye twinkling with mirth. Lorna started advancing, fury written all over her face.

"Stop!" Chiron said. Lorna turned to him, ready to argue, but Chiron cut in. "You heard him. He is willing to submit to you once he finishes his business with me. Waiting twenty seconds or twenty minutes won't make much difference, will it now? Now, _shinobi_, what do you want?"

"I am willing to pay you a hundred drachmas to medicate my partner here. He is grievously wounded from a battle with a demon."

"Get with the times, man," Sam found himself shouting. "These days we call them monsters!" A few snickers from the Athena campers served to lighten the atmosphere. The ninja looked at Sam and his eye gleamed coldly.

"You haven't been doing your job properly, Chiron, if you haven't even explained the difference between monsters and demons to your charges," the ninja said. He turned to look at Chiron. "What do you say? Do you except?"

"I expected to meet under much better circumstances, Percy," Chiron said calmly. "You've been gone for a year now. You've changed. Would you mind explaining yourself?"

"I am no longer your student, Chiron. I left of my own free will. I owe you nothing. Now are you going to take my payment and help my partner?" Percy, codename Alex, looked at Chiron with an impassive face. The Athena campers were suddenly still, and even the Amazons. The Amazons knew about Poseidon's shame. Poseidon had broken his promise and born a child. Everyone in the world had been talking about it as soon as it became public. Poseidon's son had become a ninja? There was more to this tale than met the eye.

"I don't know if I should do that, Percy," Chiron said in his calm voice. Percy resisted the urge to roll his eyes before he said something in a foreign, flowing language no one understood. No one apart from Chiron and Mr. D. Mr. D looked up from his board game and blinked. For the first time in anyone's memory Mr. D actually looked surprised, even shocked. Chiron took a few seconds to recover.

"Very well, then," Chiron said. "Bring him inside." Chiron got up from his magical wheelchair, revealing his equine form. He opened the door and went into the House. Percy jumped onto the porch floor before following, not even once looking at anybody else.

XXX

It was night time. Percy, Chiron, Lorna and Mr. D had been in the Big House for hours. Having nothing to do, the campers had started evening dinner without the adults. Now they were talking amongst themselves. The air was abuzz with conversation and speculation. Many of them still remembered Percy Jackson. They had trouble connecting the barely clued in son of Poseidon to this new ninja who had managed to trick and win against eight Amazons, three of whom were the Clan Leader and her two aides.

"I don't know what his game is," Clarisse said, "But I'll be watching him like a hawk. We've heard nothing from Olympus for nearly a year now. Something is going on and Percy's arrival stinks of something fishy. Whatever's happening, if that seaweed-brained idiot is involved, I'll make sure to punch his lights out!"

Clarisse was the only one who voiced such thoughts, but everyone else was of the same mind. Percy had always been weird, involved in nasty things. There was always something dodgy where Percy was concerned. Now everybody couldn't shake the thought that Percy coming to camp in such circumstances might bring trouble. After all, he was the only child of the Big Three since World War II, Zeus's daughter Thalia not counting anymore seeing as she had joined Artemis and her huntresses.

"Hey, Annabeth." Annabeth turned round and smiled slightly. It was Jon.

"Hey," she said.

"So what's this hype about this Percy guy? I mean, so what if he's the son of Poseidon? He wasn't that great a warrior from what I hear."

"Don't listen to what Clarisse says," Annabeth reprimanded. "He was a nice guy. He risked his life several times for me. If it wasn't for him I'd have died taking up Atlas's burden last year. And he was a great swordsman, nearly as good as Luke. I don't know why he left, though…" Annabeth looked up at Jon's face and blushed at the boy's raised eyebrow.

"So were you two … together?" Jon asked as he sat down on the Athena table. Annabeth blinked before laughing.

"Percy and me? Together?" Annabeth laughed some more. "Not a chance." Jon seemed relieved to hear it.

"Good," Jon said,"Because I didn't an old flame to get in the way." Annabeth's usually fast mind seemed to slow down. And old flame? Get in the way? What was Jon talking about?

"Annabeth," Jon began in a way that had Annabeth thinking he had rehearsed this, "I've grown to know you over the past year and you are very unique person and … listen, what I'm trying to say is that … will you go out with me?"

"Oh…" Annabeth stuttered. She looked into Jon's intense brown eyes and suddenly she couldn't escape. Her senses were aflutter as she looked at him. He seemed to loom up in her mind, an absolute Adonis in every sense of the ancient Greek term. Jon leaned forward slowly and Annabeth found herself leaning forward in anticipation. She could feel his fast exhalations on her mouth, and Jon could feel hers too. Her pupils dilated in excitement and uncertainty. Her lips opened, her tongue flicking out-

_**-BOOM!**_

The entire earth shook. Annabeth and Jon reared back from each other in shock, their swirling emotions making it difficult to focus on the situation. Clarisse's words cleared things up nicely, however.

"Monsters! Everybody get your weapons. Come on! To Thalia's tree!" Because of Chiron's military training, it only took seconds for order to be restored before everyone was rushing to the defense. Jon got up, his face tight. He looked back down at her.

"Guess we'll have to continue our talk some other time," he quipped and Annabeth suddenly found herself smiling. They got their weapons and joined their respective squads and rushed to the defense of Camp Half-Blood.


	3. Chapter 3: Preliminary Attack

Percy sat on the chair, to all appearances patient, even uncaring

Percy sat on a chair, to all appearances patient, even uncaring. But inside he was in turmoil. Aracnan, his mentor, dear old invincible Aracnan, lay on the doors of Death. That damned fool. Percy had warned him, begged him even, not to engage that demon. But Aracnan had been determined to acquire the demon's eyes. _You'll need them later, Perseus, of that I'm certain."_ _Not as much as I need you_, Percy thought. Although they had only known each other for what seemed like a year, Percy felt that he had finally found someone to connect with. Being Poseidon' son, everyone had always expected wonders from him, or otherwise had condemned him, mostly the latter. He had found a few friends, such as Annabeth and Grover, but their relationship had always put them in danger. With Luke and his master at large, this danger proved more fatal than usual. In the previous year Annabeth had almost died. He did not regret his decision to leave, although he had always mourned the loss of such close friends. And then there was the matter of Nico… Percy had tried not to think about Hades' son out in the world, alone, unprotected. Now Kronos had another puppet he could use, and this one much younger and less experienced that Percy or Thalia or Bianca. Dammit! Events were moving apace. Aracnan and he had spent the last two months tracking down Luke and finding out what he was up to. Just as Percy had suspected, Luke had survived the fall from their last encounter. Luke now had a considerable army of half bloods and other creatures at his command, a great portion of it hidden away somewhere. Percy and Aracnan had tried their best to sabotage Luke's efforts and garner allies, but Luke's propositions were just a tad more enticing than anything they had to offer. Still, they had a few allies, and powerful ones at that.

Percy looked up, a deeply ingrained instinct telling him something was off. There, five metres away, was Lorna. She stopped mid-stride, a flicker of surprise and satisfaction in her eyes before she masked them. She kept walking until she was a metre away from him. Percy suspected this was a message: I'm not here to harm you seeing as your weapon can reach me faster than I can reach you. He gave her a slow nod, his face calm, his eyes impassive. Lorna nodded back, the look of a wounded and angry predator in her eyes. Percy knew in a straight fight he wouldn't stand much of a chance against her. He was simply not experienced enough. But then again he had learnt there was no honour in a fight, in a war. People always got hurt. If you had to fight, you fought to win. Quick and clean (relatively, anyway), that was the way to go. There were fewer casualties that way. That was why Aracnan had decided that the way of the ninja was best suited to Percy's personality. _The way of the Martial Art is rooted in deception_. Percy had come across that line quite recently, and the truth of it had made it stick inside his memory. Sleight of hand, dirty tricks, element of surprise, fast reflexes, faster thought processes and heavily practised and deeply ingrained techniques … these things could overcome experience and greater speed and strength if employed correctly-

"Chiron and Mr. D would like to see you now," Lorna finally said, breaking the silence. Silently she was seething. Who did this kid think he was, forcing her to speak first? Her animosity for him went up a notch. He looked so calm, collected and totally unconcerned by her presence, even though she could kill him if she so wished. Did he have no respect or sense of self-preservation at all? Percy got up slowly, making sure to stretch his muscles and pop his joints. Lorna recognised these surreptitious moves for what they were. Percy was gearing up his body in case he had to fight his way out of a situation. But the way he made the moves look so natural is what impressed Lorna. She scowled, letting him know she had made him. He gave her a suggestive smile and licked his lips, his eyes laughing. He looked her up and down.

"Lead the way," he said in a suggestive tone. Lorna knew he was only trying to get under her skin, to unbalance her so that if they ever did have to fight, her emotions would impair her. She took a calming breath, turned round and started walking. The sooner this was over with the better. She couldn't wait to show this kid his place.

The room Aracnan was in was on the second floor, in the west wing. Percy made sure to walk calmly into the room, his eyes gliding over every surface. He did not put it past Chiron and Mr. D to be plotting something. Although there were two vacant chairs, neither Lorna nor Percy took them. It was clear they were both expecting some kind of trouble to start.

"Oh, by the Gods Percy, sit down!" Chiron said, his tone of voice exasperated. Percy looked at him hard in the eyes before slowly taking a seat. Lorna followed suit. His eyes glided over the room once again. "When did you turn into such an untrusting person, Percy?" Chiron asked. "I remember you to be a lovely, if slightly naïve, young man."

"People change, Chiron," Percy replied. "I had to change if I was going to survive." Percy instantly regretted opening his mouth and getting trapped in such an emotional conversation. It would only serve to distract and sidetrack him.

"Is that why you left?" Chiron asked. After a few seconds in which Percy refused to answer, Chiron said: "After all I did for you, after what the Camp did for you, I think I deserve an explanation." His tone was sharp. Percy frowned slightly before nodding.

"That is why I left." He did not offer up any more answers. Chiron sighed in exasperation and threw up his hands. "How is … how is John?" Percy thought sticking to the codename would cut down on any awkward questions.

"_John_," Chiron said with heavy sarcasm, "Is fine. His condition has stabilised. The samples of blood and venom you gave me were quite helpful. Can I ask why you thought it a good idea to attack a demon, a creature which existed from before the Titan War?"

"It was necessary. The creatures of eld are awakening once more. We were in the area when this one awoke. It had to be dealt with before it got out of hand." This wasn't a complete lie, but neither was it the whole truth. Chiron studied Percy's face and felt his heart saddening.

"You have become a hard boy, Percy." Chiron paused. "John will be fine, but I cannot put a time as to when he will awaken. I had to put him in a comatose state for the medication to have maximum effect."

"So the venom was a neurotoxin, then?" Percy asked, all tactical now. Chiron's eyebrows rose a millimetre.

"Yes, it was. I will have to study it in greater detail to understand it better, though, if I am to make sure there aren't any after-effects that could cause complications."

"Of course," Percy said. He started reaching into his jacket but Chiron stalled him with a gesture.

"I don't want your money, Percy."

"Oh?" Percy asked nonchalantly, but inside his muscles were slowly tensing and relaxing, adrenalin injecting into his system in response to a possible threat. Percy noticed that in the corner of his eye Lorna rearranged the set of her legs, a purely feminine act on the surface, but underneath a move that would enable her to get out of her chair faster. Percy resisted the urge to act then. It would be rash.

"Yes," Chiron said, well aware of where this could go if he didn't control the situation. "In exchange for helping your friend here, I want to hear what has happened to you in the last year. I want to know _everything_."

"I can't do that," Percy protested at once. "Some of the things I have been involved in are too sensitive to be disclosed, no matter who is asking."

"That seems a small price to pay for your friend's life." While Chiron didn't mean it as a threat but he nevertheless left it to hang in the air, hoping to force Percy's hand.

"John would understand. He is the one who taught me such precautionary measures in the first place." Percy was not to be moved from his position. Chiron frowned at that.

"Very well," he conceded at last. "I'm sure we will come up with a compromise that will satisfy us b-"

"Percy!"

Everyone looked at the bed in the corner in surprise. Aracnan was sitting up, his body wracked with spasms.

"That's impossible!" Chiron couldn't help but say. "I put him in a comatose state myself!" Percy ignored him and moved to the bedside, holding Aracnan steady.

"Easy, John," Percy said. "You'll be fine. You need to stop fighting the sedatives and rest. You will recuperate faster."

"Always thinking operationally, that's my Percy" Aracnan chuckled, which turned into a wheeze of pain. "I don't have much time, Percy. Once I go to sleep I won't wake until I am healed. There are things you need to know." Aracnan stopped talking, sweat covering his large frame.

"Dammit John! This can wait. Sleep!"

"No, it can't. The enemy is moving, Percy. I withheld the information hoping we would still have time to plan a counterattack, but with me incapacitated for a while, those responsibilities fall down to you."

"I understand," Percy said, gripping Aracnan's hand.

"I knew you would. That's why I want you to share our Intel with Chiron. If this opposition is going to work we all need to work together. Afterward send word to all our allies and have them get ready. It might be a day or a year, but eventually we shall have to fight."

"Understood."

"Ha, ha," Aracnan wheezed. "I told you Percy. You would change. You would become a true hero."

"Thanks to you."

"True… You haven't asked why I am doing this. After we were done my part would be over, and yet I'm still here. Does that not surprise you?"

"It's a welcome surprise."

"Ha, ha…" Aracnan slowly fell back into bed, his breathing slowing and deepening. Percy took a few seconds to calm down before standing up and turning back to Chiron. Lorna was standing next to the centaur while Mr. D was leaning back in his chair, hands behind his head.

"It seems," Percy said slowly, "That we have an alliance."

Chiron smiled while Lorna scowled. "I'm glad," Chiron said. "Now will you tell me what you have been up to?"

Percy sat back down and gave his report. At the end Percy noticed Mr. D quietly disappearing. _Looks like Olympus now knows what the situation is really like_.

XXX

Percy left the Big House by the back entrance, leaving Lorna and Chiron to discuss things. Mr. D would be returning soon to join the conversation, of that Percy was certain. Percy didn't want to be seen by the other campers. Being back brought out mixed feelings in him. On one hand he was glad to be back. Seeing Annabeth again had brought sudden flowers to his stomach. He couldn't fully explain it. It seemed like he had really missed her. On the other hand it brought out a ball of anger in him. It reminded him that he was nothing but a pawn, that they were all pawns, in a much larger game than they could fathom. He was simply more useful and more powerful than most pawns, so he could manoeuvre more – or rather be manoeuvred. He had never liked the way the Gods used half-bloods and mortals. But then again the Titans had been much worse. It wasn't a case of good and evil. It was simply a matter of choosing a lesser of the two evils.

Percy melted into the surrounding forest. He wasn't that hungry. He could eat later, in silence and in peace. Right then he needed to go and reacquire both his and Aracnan's possessions. His lips pursed. Being back at Camp Half-Blood … he sighed. It would be awkward. He could already tell he wasn't hot stuff among the other campers. It was mostly due to him, of course. Running out on them and then behaving like a delinquent when he returned hadn't helped things. But it was necessary. He had to create distance between himself and the other campers otherwise the bonds that could form would be trouble later. And he had to admit that some part of him liked behaving without restrictions, knowing he could get away with it. For so long in his life he'd had to watch what he did or said, but no more. He took deep breaths and steeled himself. He had a duty to perform. Personal feelings were irrelevant. Maybe he would feel more comfortable in future and be able to integrate himself back into Camp life, but for now there were things to do.

He found the tree where he had hidden his and Aracnan's backpacks earlier. He rifled through them and sure enough everything was there. He ran back to Camp proper, slowing down as he got nearer. His senses were on high alert. He didn't want to run into anyone. Thank the Gods everyone was still eating. He slipped into Cabin number three. Poseidon's Cabin. It was still the same. Nothing had changed. _Of course nothing's changed_, Percy thought, _you are the only one who can use it_. Percy sighed and set about cleaning the place up. Nobody had been in here for nearly a year. It took his about half an hour before everything was to his satisfaction. Anything imperative was within reach and easily removed, just in case a quick retreat was necessary. It wasn't that he didn't trust the people on the Camp. It was … complicated.

A sudden noise filled the air and the ground shook. Percy was still wearing all his clothes and weaponry. He ran to the door and looked around. There, in the distance, by Thalia's tree. A golden shield could be seen shimmering, protecting the camp from attack. A hole was slowly forming in the shield, widening every second. _Shit!_ Someone was breaching the Camp's boundaries. He could see campers, grouped into squads, running for the armouries and then up the hill toward the breach. Percy's mind was racing. Who was attacking? Why were they attacking? Answers popped up just as fast. It had to be Luke. He would be the only one this ambitious. And as for the why, Percy had no ready answer but suggestions came up. Luke might want to test the campers, to find out how strong his enemies were. He might want to destroy Camp Half-Blood, take over and use it as his base. Whatever the reason, this attack had to be stopped. Just as Percy was about to run for the hill, he paused. Why such an obvious attack? If Luke had found a way to get through the shields, why not use a surreptitious attack and catch everyone by surprise? Luke was a devious bastard. Percy knew Luke's mind would not overlook such an opening. So this attack, all loud noises and colourful exhibits, had to be a diversion. But where would the other attack come from? Percy ran through what he knew. The Camp's defences, no matter their source, still obeyed the fundamental laws of physics. The defences were strongest by Thalia's tree, where the Golden Fleece was hanging. The defences surrounded the Camp in a dome, or rather a sphere. That meant the weakest point would be directly south of Thalia's tree, where there was the least concentration of magic. And the most tactical way of ingress would be from an underground tunnel. Humans counted on the sense of sight. To see was to believe, after all. And very few people ever thought of an attack from beneath them, from underground. But still this was too vague. And he was only one person. He could not possibly hope to overcome whatever force came his way. Quickly he ran toward the stables and jumped atop a Pegasus.

_Where to, sire?_

_The forest. The Amazon camp._ Percy broadened his mind and touched every Pegasus. _Come with me. We will need all of you._

The steeds bowed their heads to obey. Percy's Pegasus leapt into the air and every other one followed. The flight to the camp only took a few minutes, but those precious few minutes might as well have been hours for all the tactical opportunities missed. Percy didn't bother to let his Pegasus land. He jumped down when it was still twenty feet in the air, landing in a crouch to let his legs absorb the impact. He looked round. Every Amazon was armed and ready for battle as soon as their Leader gave the word. Trouble was their leader was not coming anytime soon. If Percy was to stop any attack from the rear he would need them, but after what had happened their trust for him would have gone down several notches from its naturally non-existent status.

"The Camp is being attacked by Luke's forces," Percy said, talking while they were still too shocked by his sudden presence to attack. "They have managed to find a way to breach the defences. Soon it will be a bloody battlefield once those monsters make their way inside. But if they have managed to find a way inside, why would they resort to such a crude and direct form of attack? Why not simply silently enter and subdue everyone? I suspect there is another force coming from the north-west, directly opposite Thalia's tree. We need to make sure there aren't any nasty surprises that will catch us off-guard and seal our doom." Percy paused for breath, watching the Amazons' reactions. "I have brought these Pegasi for quick transport. They are already battle-trained. They will be invaluable."

A pause. Then: "Seize him." Percy resisted a sigh of exasperation. He had expected such a reaction but still he couldn't help but feel let down. They needed to act and catch the enemy off their guard. He jumped back, instantly creating distance. He knew how skilled Amazons were.

"Please listen to me!" Percy begged. "We cannot afford to waste time. We need to move, now! You can act on your suspicions later!"

"This could be a set-up. Removing the Camp's only Amazon tribe would severely weaken its army."

"Are you willing to risk the Camp's safety on such a hunch? What if you are wrong? It will be far too late to do anything by then. Do you want that on your conscience!?"

The Amazons paused. "You're right," one reluctantly agreed. "But we will not be led into an ambush. We shall go and investigate. You stay here under guard." Percy resisted the urge to argue. What mattered right then was action.

"Very well," he agreed. "Take the Pegasi. They are dedicated to the Camp. They will not betray you." It only took half a minute before ninety-eight Amazons took off, leaving two to guard Percy, with only two Pegasi. Percy thanked the Gods that no one had noticed his Pegasus was gone, nowhere to be seen. Looking at his guards, Percy recognised them. They had been one of the Amazons waiting for him at his campsite. He had thought them twenty years old but now realised they were much younger, about sixteen or so. It was their clothes and bearing that made them look older.

"You are burning to go and join the fight," Percy said, reading them perfectly.

"Be quiet," one said. "And take off your weaponry."

"Make me," Percy said, turning away from them. He heard a frustrated sigh and heard the soft footfalls of one Amazon approaching him. He pretended not to notice until the Amazon was a foot behind him before he acted. He pivoted on his right foot and feinted a blow to her right temple. She reacted with the fast reflexes born of militaristic drilling and brought her right forearm up to defend. Percy then pivoted on his left foot and moved even faster with a blow to her left temple. She fell unconscious even before her body hit the ground. Percy felt the cold metal of a blade rest on his neck. He did not move, did not even dare breathe. He looked up slowly. The other Amazon was a yard away, her expression severe. _Oh, fuck… she must have been right behind this one, just in case I tried something funny. And she masked her footfalls with the other one's … they are good_.

"Listen," he began but the pressure on his beck increased, drawing blood. He paused before plunging on. "Listen! The Camp is under attack. One more fighter is better than three held up ones. I know we haven't gotten off to a great start but my intentions have been honourable. I couldn't let you kill my friend and now I can't let you stop me from fighting."

"The road to Hades is paved with good intentions," the girl spat. She fixed him with a glare. "… I wish I could trust you, even a bit, but I have my orders. I have to stay put and make sure you cause no problems."

"I know you hate it, being forced to stay here, but-" Percy suddenly acted, crouching down and lunging forward. The Amazon, taken completely by surprise, could only stand there as she was tackled down to the ground. Humans found it hard to talk and attack at the same time. Even experienced fighters had to switch from talking mode to fighting mode, even for a fraction of a second. Percy gripped her wrist and she let go of the sword. Even as she tried to shift his weight and fight back, Percy rolled off her, pulling her after him and ruining her counterattack. He smoothly got up and rolled her onto her back. He put his knee of her spine and added a little pressure. She instantly stopped struggling, knowing he could crack her spine and paralyse her permanently, maybe even kill her.

"I don't want this to turn sour. I am going to leave now, and please don't try to stop me. I only want to do what's right. After your friends wakes up get on the Pegasi and go help your comrades. I am going to go and-"

"Knock me unconscious," the girl suddenly said, interrupting him.

"What?" he asked dumbly, adding a little more pressure to her spine in case she was going to try something. She hissed but did not protest.

"Knock me unconscious," she repeated. "That way it will look less suspicious. No doubt we will both be reprimanded but that can wait. We need to act. You were right. We want to go fight. Once you leave and we wake up, we have nothing keeping us from our comrades. So go ahead and be on your way. For some reason I believe you, so either you are being honest or a very good actor." Percy was surprised. A smile flickered over his lips before it disappeared. Without warning he punched her behind the head. She groaned in pain and surprise. While she was disorientated he got her in a _hadaka jime_, a sleeper hold. She was unconscious in seconds. They would both wake in a couple of minutes. He called with his mind and his steed flew from the cover of the trees and landed beside him.

_Stay with them_, he instructed the other two Pegasi before he got on his own and flew toward the armoury. He had to stock up on some equipment.

XXX

It was a bloody mess. Already three squads were incapacitated, with two more mortally wounded and in need of emergency medical attention. Chiron and a few Hermes campers were doing their best, but casualties were popping in too fast to be patched up properly. The majority of their enemies were monsters. Hordes of the things were attacking left, right, and centre. But numbers shouldn't have affected anything. Monsters were a half-blood's bread and butter. If you couldn't deal with them you didn't survive. No, what made the situation was that some idiot had come up with the idea of teaching dangerous but stupid beings modern warfare. Now that the monsters could fight in groups, with direction and with a purpose, their attacks were much more dangerous.

Annabeth parried a stinger from a manticore, and instead of stepping back, she jumped forward, getting up close. The tail flashed downward in a blur. Annabeth's heart seemed to be going at a mile per minute, and her muscles nearly gave in to instinct, to run, but she waited until the time was right. Finally, she moved. Her bronze dagger flashed up, pointing upwards. The stinger glanced off it and downward. Annabeth grabbed it and pushed it into the manticore's chest. A look of utter surprise. And then the thing disintegrated. Deeply ingrained instinct made her jump sideways. An arrow flew through the space her neck had been occupying. Close call.

"Annabeth!"

She looked to the right. The rest of her squad were fighting against a mini-hydra. They had tried their best not to cut off any heads but some things just couldn't be helped. They would be overwhelmed in a few more minutes. She concentrated for a few seconds and suddenly disappeared, invisible. Her hat, given to her by her mother Athena, was on her head. Chiron had worked with it on her. It no longer rendered her invisible every time she put it on. Instead, as long as it was on her person she could concentrate on activating its effect. This way she would be less obvious. She ran to her team and stood directly behind them.

"Ready," she whispered.

Sam nodded. "Now!" he shouted. Marcy and Jack, the other team members, split away from the group, running left and right respectively. Several heads followed, leaving only two to take care of Sam. Sam dropped his sword, lowered his centre of gravity and fixed his gaze on the weaving heads. He needed to time it perfectly, otherwise he would die. Simple. One head flashed forward, followed closely by another. In a blur of movement Sam managed to trap the heads in head-locks.

"Hurry!" he shouted to Marcy and Jack. "I can't hold them for long!" Even as he said this his feet started dragging forwards, the heads fighting desperately to free themselves. Marcy reached to the belt on her waist and retrieved a small bundle. With four cords coming from it. She held onto two and twirled it over her head before releasing it. As it flew it unfolded into a large net. Marcy shouted a word in Ancient Greek and the cords flew down and under, drawing the net down over the serpentine necks of the hydra. Jack ran forward and his sword flashed downwards, cutting the necks of the hydra just above the shoulder. Green blood gushed forward, flying well over ten feet. Sam paid it no attention, concentrating on holding the two heads. They still had life in them, if only for a few more seconds. If he let got he would be bitten, or mortally wounded. Keeping a tight hold on the two heads, he used them to drag away the rest. Jack was a good swordsman. Eve under pressure he had made sure to cut where the heads above where they were joined together. A blaze of fire seemed to erupt from nowhere, searing the still healing neck of the hydra. For a few seconds the monster tottered before disintegrating. The heads disappeared, too. Sam slumped to the ground in relief. His biceps hurt. Annabeth materialised. He started laughing, and so did Jack and Marcy.

"What?" she asked defensively. They only laughed harder. She looked down. The hydra's green blood covered her from neck to toe. She stifled a scream, barely. With the sudden attack the campers had only managed to put on a few bits of armour. They were all wearing their casual clothes. And hers were ruined. They were her favourite, too!

"Annabeth!"

She whirled round. "What!?"

Jon stared. "Um … I was … I was going to ask for some help routing the remaining monsters … but you seem busy … maybe you'd like to go change first … or something…" With that Jon turned round and ran after his squad before he laughed in her face. Annabeth's squad laughed harder.

"Oh, shut up! We have to go help." Her cheeks were red. It took a few seconds to calm down but finally Squad #3 followed Squad #2 to the top of the hill. There were already three other squads there, which Annabeth noticed were Squads #1, #4 and #5. Platoon number 1 was present. She felt a flush of relief that her platoon was safe, but instantly felt guilty. Other squads had been injured. From a quick inspection she had noticed that an entire platoon, five whole squads, twenty half-bloods, had too been wounded to continue fighting. The real number would go beyond that once this fight was over.

From downhill, hidden in the trees' shadows, Percy watched the battle intently before dismissing it. He had been right. If Luke had discovered a way to breach the defences then he wouldn't have sent such a weak force to attack. If the teams up here could afford to joke around then … then the Amazons were up shit's creek. The force there would be at least twice this one. But they had one advantage. That army wouldn't be expecting them.

XXX

Ten minutes later he jumped off the Pegasus' back and into the river below, entering without a sound. He propelled himself downstream for a few minutes before he surfaced. His surroundings were clear. He got out of the river and into the cover of the surrounding forest. Without thinking he ducked and swept his leg back. It met no resistance but he ignored that as he twirled round, a kunai materialising in his hand. Lorna stood there, three feet away, those two young Amazons by her side. She looked positively murderous. He smiled and stood up slowly, making sure to put his kunai back into the pouch strapped to his right thigh. He wasn't surprised that she had figured out the attack at Thalia's tree was a diversion. He hadn't expected less from her. And he guessed her subordinates had filled her in on what had happened while she was away.

"It seems you were right," Lorna said softly. Percy said nothing. Lorna chewed on nothing for a few seconds before continuing. Admitting she was wrong had cost her. "There are tens of monsters out there, and quite a few half-bloods. So far we have been engaging them one at a time, separating forces and hindering them in any way possible. But it's to no avail. There are simply too many of them. They are going to reach camp proper soon. And we cannot engage them directly, we _will_ not. It's suicide. Since you managed to escape my guards here and followed us, I'm assuming you have a plan of some sort? Did you call for help?"

"Yes," Percy answered. Secretly he was pleased that Lorna respected him enough on the field to feel that giving him a situation report was called for. "They were closest."

"They?" asked Lorna. She sniffed and her pupils dilated. She smiled. "Centaurs."

"Yes," he said, impressed and a little intimidated, but he managed to show it. That was definitely freaky. No wonder Amazons were dangerous if they had those kinds of abilities. "I have a plan," he continued. He outlined it to her.

"Ambitious," she said. "Are you sure it's going to work?"

"To a degree, yes. It will at least lower their numbers significantly if it fails. At best we will finish them off in the next half hour."

"Let's do it," Lorna said after a pause. "I will debrief my Amazons."

"Good." Percy gave a signal with his hand. There was no sound or sign, but in the forest the waiting centaurs rushed forth to seek and hinder the enemy. "The centaurs are on their way. I suggest we hurry."

XXX

Twenty minutes later the trap was set. Percy had just received word from one of the centaurs. Percy was amazed at the change in the centaurs. At the best of times centaurs behaved like college students who partied all the time. Now that situations had gotten quite serious, their demeanour had transformed. That normal crazy streak was now a murderous one. It was like watching a berserker fight. Percy turned his attention back to the battlefield. As time had worn on and the Amazons' and the centaurs' coordinated attacks had harried the enemy more and more, Luke's forces had abandoned stealth and were on a mission to kill them all. That way they could rid camp of extra soldiers and also get rid of the enemy that was killing them one by one. Already the force was half its original size. And if Percy's plan worked, the rest would be taken care of.

"We're ready." Percy resisted the urge to turn round. Although he could detect Lorna's approach, her aura of silence unnerved him. His imagination conjured imaged of her impaling him with her gladius. She was like Aracnan in that respect: silent and dangerous, like a true ninja, like what he would become if he kept walking down the path.

"Good." He stood up from his crouch and joined Lorna in the shadows of a tree. His clothes were caked with blood, both from the monsters he had killed and the … and the half-bloods. Percy tried not to think about the mad and pathetic faces whose last vision was of his impassive face as he hacked them down. He had to remind himself that this was war. They had chosen the wrong side. He collected up all his emotions in a ball and shut it away in a deep part of himself to deal with later. He looked up and saw Lorna studying him closely. He resisted the temptation to say anything impertinent. This wasn't the time. He looked back downhill, where the bulk of the second army was slowly making its way uphill.

"Leave," he commanded. "Get your remaining forces and the centaurs, find the remaining forces and kill them."

Lorna looked at Percy for a second longer. "… Understood." She couldn't she was taking orders from this whelp, but this was his plan. He knew what to do better than she did. "But I will leave Anna and Katrina with you." She turned around and walked away before he could protest.

"Who are they?" he called after her, annoyed.

"The two who you knocked unconscious," she called back.

"Great," muttered Percy. Nothing like having two people who wanted revenge as your back-up. He put them out of his mind and concentrated on the force coming his way. There had to be hundreds of monsters coming uphill, and dozens of half-bloods. Little-leaguers, but even enough mice can overpower a cat. He crouched down and started chanting in Ancient Greek. The syllables flowed off his tongue in rolling waves as his hands sunk into the ground. He felt the energy leave him in great bursts. He couldn't sustain this spell for long. The only reason he could even do it was because his father was the god of earthquakes and as such he had some control over the earth and earth related spells. When his hands sunk to the elbows he suddenly clenched his hands and drew them upwards, plunged them downwards, and the upwards again. As he repeated the motions and kept up his chant, a wave encompassed the land around him in a kilometre radius. After ten seconds a below came from the land, followed by trembling. His man-made earthquake shook the ground like a true force of nature. Rocks and boulders the centaurs and Amazons had loosened rolled downhill in waves, catching scores of monsters in their wake. Percy knew it wasn't enough. He needed _more_. He forced himself to reach deep and draw more strength. The earth shook more, the land itself undulating. And then Percy pulled his trump card. Percy reached downhill and started widening the hidden trench the centaurs had dug downhill. It resisted his efforts in an almost sentient way, but his will was stronger. With the land throwing them downhill into a fissure, the army did not last long. Percy realised that this group had no one capable of magic, or if they did they weren't fast enough to do anything. It took perhaps two minutes, two minutes in which Percy shut out all the human cries that reached his ears. Some part of him realised he was actually crying, but he could do nothing about it then. Finally the cries abruptly cut off, creating a deafening silence despite the great earthquake still rumbling. Percy withdrew his hands from the ground and the earth stopped shaking, the rumbling dying down. He gasped as his whole body shook in spasms. He felt hungry and dehydrated at the same time, and he had a splitting headache. He reached blindly into the pouch on his left hip, drew a vial and drank the purple liquid greedily. His aching subsided but he knew if he didn't get sustenance soon he would be in a terrible condition the following morning.

"Alright?" a voice asked from behind him.

"Perfectly," he replied, getting. "Since Lorna left you in my charge I assume you are going to listen to what I say?"

"…Yes." Percy smiled. Neither girl's attitude had changed much in the last hour. They still did not trust him, although they recognised him as an ally.

"Excellent. Now let's go downhill. I'm sure there are survivors we have to eliminate."

"Shouldn't we keep a few for interrogation?"

"…If we can. Something tells me very few humans survived, and those that did aren't going to betray Luke or his master. They fear us less. But we'll see what we can do."

With that Percy led the way downhill. Many trees had been uprooted and Percy made a mental note to do anything he could to help replant them. He had learnt it was wise never to make enemies of nature spirits, and certainly the dryads wouldn't be happy about this little incident. Percy suddenly jumped forwards, rolled, came up facing right and threw three shuriken in a wide wail into a tree. Silence. And then a body fell down with a dull thump. It was a teenager, about seventeen years old. In his hands was a bow, an arrow notched. His face was still screwed up in concentration, but his eyes registered a flicker of surprise. Percy's shuriken were imbedded deep in the boy's forehead, throat and chest. Blood was flowing freely. Percy approached the body, his face impassive. He checked the body, which revealed nothing, and then relieved it of the bow and quiver.

"Let's go," he said. The girls said nothing, although Anna's face was a tad pale. He realised she was way too young to have gone through the Amazon Trial and be recognised as a full Amazon. She was still a trainee, too young to have faced real combat. Katrina shuddered for a few seconds before retching. Percy turned his head away. Some part of him was yelling, screaming, shouting, and mourning the loss of his innocence. Once that would have been his pale and retching. He took a deep breath. Once. But now it was different. "Let's go," he said again. He shouldered the quiver, making sure he could draw arrows without trouble. Before leading the way he made sure to retrieve his shuriken, wiping off the blood and grey matter on the half-blood's clothes.

"You make me sick," Anna said flatly.

"I don't particularly care," Percy replied. He started walking and a few seconds later he heard the two girls following. A sneer formed on his lips, hidden by his long hair. What right did she have to judge him? None whatsoever. He suddenly stopped, his body still. Behind him Anna and Katrina stopped too. Taking too arrows from the quiver, he notched one and ran lightly to the left, Anna and Katrina a few paces behind. He looked through the leaves of a fallen tree. Three injured spider looking things were slumped on the ground, licking their wounds, while two half-bloods were tending to each other. Percy looked back and signalled Anna and Katrina to go left and right, which they thankfully did with no complaints. He turned back to the small clearing and aimed his bow, calculations running through his head. Monsters moved fast, faster than they looked capable of, even when injured. He had to do this quickly. He let out a small breath, aiming properly. Smoothly he let his first arrow loose, the second and third a fraction of a second behind. All three arrows pierced the spider's heads, and the spiders disintegrated. Before either half-blood could move he let loose another arrow and hit one half-blood in the stomach.

"Rick!" The other half-blood rushed to help his friend, but before he got there Katrina was standing in his way, her gladius drawn. He quickly got to his feet but Anna, who had appeared from behind him, knocked his down and rested the sharp edge of her gladius on his neck. He sat very still. Percy walked into the clearing, oozing calm and confidence.

"What do you want?" the kid asked.

"The arrow that shot your friend is coated with venom. The wound is a stomach wound. Concentrated stomach hydrochloric acid and venom are entering his system and destroying his bowls. He has about half an hour before he will be beyond saving. Normally this would be about ten minutes, but Chiron's a great healer. If you give us the information we want I guarantee your friend will be saved and both of you will be allowed to leave without being harmed." Chris licked his lips and looked at the two Amazons and then back at Percy. Percy read him perfectly. "I would like to point out that these lovely ladies and I would gut you before you even had a chance to stand up, and besides, are you going to abandon your friend like that? My word I good. Take the deal… You have no other alternative." It only took another few seconds before Chris nodded shakily.

"Good. Anna and Katrina, please escort these two to the Big House and tell Chiron to use the anti-venom I gave him." Percy looked significantly at Chris. "That is Chris here delivers the goods, of course." Percy looked back at Anna and his right eye twitched a little. Anna frowned at him and Percy smiled, and after a moment Anna got it. The arrow wasn't poisoned. Percy had made it up to add to the pressure. Anna shook her head a little at Percy but said nothing. Percy turned away from her. She had no right to judge him. He had to complete job, no matter what. That was what Aracnan had taught him. If he didn't the alternative was beyond thinking. Making friends was not his job, and neither was explaining himself.

"Hurry," he said as he started walking downhill.

"Where are you going? And how will we get to the Big House in such a short time." There was a hint of a challenge in her words.

"The two Pegasi behind you will get you there. And I am going to eliminate any of Luke's remaining forces. We cannot have enemies wondering around inside Camp. And then I'm going to investigate the breach in the boundaries. We cannot simply leave it there."

"… Very well."

Percy didn't reply. His mind was already on the tasks ahead. While others were ending battles and resting, there was other more subtle and important jobs that had to be taken care off. Were there scouts and spies waiting outside the Camp's boundaries? Were there established routes of communication or modes of action that were to be followed once the fight was over? And how exactly had Camp's borders been breached. All these answers had to be answered satisfactorily if Camp was to be safe. Aracnan had taught him well. He had become strong. His body was finely honed, and his mind finer still.

_But at what cost?_ some part of him couldn't help wondering.


	4. Chapter 4: Aftermath

Annabeth woke up well rested, if a little bit sore

Annabeth woke up well rested, if a little bit sore. She felt thankful that the Gods had finally taken the comfort of heroes into account and awarded each cabin the ability to grow as many rooms as there were campers. It was invaluable. Everyone appreciated finally being able to have a place they could call their own. She stretched and then grimaced as spasms shot through her body. Her use of the fire spell that had finished off the hydra had drained her. The bigger the spell the more energy it needed to sustain it, and since she wasn't naturally suited to fire related spells … well, she had done well, and that was what mattered. Another grimace materialised on her face as she remembered the other event of that night, two days previously. That freaking hydra had covered her in green gooey blood, and Jon had nearly laughed in her face. A reluctant grin appeared on her lips. She would have found it funny if it had happened to someone else, and the Gods knew they all needed a laugh. Oh well. These things happened. And luckily Camp had detergents that were much stronger than industrial strength. The stains would come out … hopefully.

She went and took a long shower in the adjoining bathroom, and she felt a rush of affection for her mother. Athena surely knew how to design things. Everything was gleaming marble and bronze. She wished she could be this kind of architect one day. When she was finished showering she dressed in accommodating clothes; a t-shirt that bore the legend "POMPEII ISN'T DEAD" (An inside joke, of a sort - Pompeii was designed by Athena as a Tribute to Zeus, but was destroyed after the hedonism there angered the Powers That Be), a pair of shorts and sandals. It was much too hot for anything else. She also wore her cap. It was summer but she had also learnt to have a weapon handy. You never knew when Chiron decided it was time for a surprise exercise. Better invisibility than nothing. The past couple of days had been relatively lax; with Chiron busy figuring out what had happened and also tending to the injured half-bloods, Amazons, centaurs and other creatures of the forest. Thankfully no half-blood had been killed, although three entire squads were mortally wounded and their lives were in the hands of the Fates. The respective cabins gave dedications to the Fates as well as their patron gods so their half-brothers and half-sisters would be live.

When she went out of the cabin she was surprised to find the sun well up. She realised just how tired she had been. She hadn't slept until ten in the morning following the attack, and she hadn't managed to sleep well. And then she had spent quite a lot of time reorganising and mending everything, which the Hephaestus cabin had led. This was the result of a heavy battle, she supposed. Sam was waiting for her a few paces ahead, and so were Marcy and Jack. A person's squad was more than a fighting group one belonged to. Bonds grew strong if you had to trust your very life to only three people in the whole world.

"Feeling better?" Sam asked.

"Much," she replied with a smile.

"Well, I have no sympathy," Sam said with a sniff. "I told you not to push yourself so hard. There were three whole platoons who could have handled the route. You wouldn't have made much of a difference."

"Sam!" Marcy reprimanded.

"Oh, don't tell me you believe that she was routing monsters," Jack said with a smile. "Something tells me she was … otherwise occupied." Jack smirked.

"Mind your own business," Marcy sniffed disdainfully. "At least Annabeth and Jon are having a good time. Have _you_ ever even kissed a girl?"

"Of course I have!"

Sam and Annabeth laughed. It was painfully obvious the two liked each other. What everyone was wondering was why they just didn't give in and go out together.

"Hey, look," Sam said pointing up to the sky. At first it looked like a bird, maybe a dove or something, but then as it got closer they realised that it was a Pegasus. And slumped on its back was a figure clothed in black. They all realised Percy right away.

"Think the wannabe hero's dead?" Sam asked uncaringly.

"Sam!" Marcy said.

"Well he should stop being so nasty and maybe I'll be nicer," Sam said.

"Come on, let's go see what's going on," Annabeth said as the Pegasus flew toward the Big House. It took them a few minutes to jog there, Sam and Annabeth a few paces ahead of the other two. When they got there they realised that most of the Camp was there. Chiron was standing on the steps of the Big House, and it was obvious he was waiting until everyone was there. It took a few minutes but finally silence started encompassing the crowd. Percy was sitting by the table on the porch, gorging himself on the food there while the white Pegasus – which strangely had a black mane, black tail and black hooves – was grazing contentedly beside the porch. Neither took notice of the two-hundred and forty odd half-bloods standing in their respective platoons, in ranks of four.

"Heroes!" Chiron began. "A few nights ago we were attacked by our enemies." He nicely dodged mentioning just _who_ their enemies were exactly. "You acquitted yourself well, heroes. You fought well, even though we took on great damage. Three whole squads are in the hands of the Fates, and two Platoons sustained great injuries. But rest assured that they will be fine. Now we must reflect on just what happened that night? How were we attacked? I know you have questions that require answers, and I am going to try and answer them right here, right now." Chiron paused, managing to give the impression that he was looking at each and every half-blood there. "Our enemy is very strong. They have great influence and numbers. They number far greater than we do, at the very least. And like us, they have not been idle. They have been training their soldiers and allies just like I have been training you. They are skilled and determined. If we do not keep vigilant they might overpower us, but I have faith in you, my heroes. We have grown strong together over the past year. When you look in the mirror you are looking at a true hero, someone worthy of the name in every respect. You defended your home rigorously against greater numbers and triumphed, with the help of your allies, of course." Chiron gave Lorna and a centaur, both of whom were standing to his left. "It is thanks to them that a second army, which was coming from the north-west, was defeated. They defended our rear, also against greater numbers, and we are forever in their debt."

Chiron paused again, collecting his thoughts, before he continued. "It is clear from this attack that our enemy will not rest until all of us are destroyed. We are the Fist of the Gods, my heroes. Without us the enemy will have an extra advantage in their quest for dominion. The Gods have demanded I keep my peace, but I say you deserve to know who exactly your enemy is, so I will say only this: what you have heard, about the identity of our enemy, is true. That is what you are up against. But like I have said, I have faith in you. Besides, you are not alone. We have garnered allies, who will be introduced to you as time goes on. You have already met some of them in Perseus Jackson here, and his comrade John, who is at the moment recovering from a battle wound." All eyes moved to Percy, who was busy stuffing his face full of food. When he had first sat at the table, every plate was full. Now only a quarter remained, and he still showed no signs of stopping. He looked up from his plate, his hair covering most of his features. He raised a tentative hand in greeting before bowing his head and continued his arduous task. Chiron gave a humoured laugh, lightening the mood somewhat.

"You will have to excuse his rudeness. Since the attack began a couple of nights ago he has been involved in elimination the remaining bands of monsters and mortals as well as other espionage activities. It is thanks to him that the second army was confronted and defeated, and he also managed to gather information on our enemies and cleared up the events of that night. He has barely rested in three days and has been surviving on a potion made with ambrosia as the base ingredient. Useful and ingenious, but his body is suffering as a result. He had no body fat left and his muscles had been eating themselves in an effort to keep him awake and functioning. That's why he's eaten so much. After this he will need a good sleep to fully recuperate. But enough of that. Perhaps Percy would like to tell us what happened himself?" Percy looked up at Chiron and gave him a murderous stare. Chiron laughed. Percy grumbled. The stupid centaur was forcing Percy to personally insinuate himself back into Camp life. He sighed. Better sooner than later. He drank the last of his water, burped, stood up and joined Chiron on the stairs. He was a mess. He hadn't had a bath in three days. His clothes were tattered, worn and covered in various colours of blood. His matted hair was stuck to his skull, giving him an emaciated appearance. He shook his head to clear his face of hair.

"The enemy forces distracted you with loud bangs and pretty colours," he began, his tone of voice flat and unemotional. "A much larger force breached the Camp's defences where they were weakest, directly opposite Thalia's tree. I alerted the Amazon tribe and the Centaur tribe, who kindly offered assistance." A nod to Lorna, and the centaur, which looked like he would rather be somewhere else. "The enemy was engaged in the valleys near the north-west boundaries. The enemy forces consisted of seven platoons, containing ten mortals and twenty monsters each, which would have been a brilliant attack on its own because as I understand it two Camp Half-Blood platoons are dedicated purely to medical care in battle. The Amazons and Centaurs harried the enemy forces in sorties for half an hour, forcing them to separate into much more manageable groups. They then proceeded to eliminate these groups, which proved quite difficult because the majority of their enemies weren't mortal, and as you probably noticed these monsters were wearing armour to minimise the effect of celestial bronze. But after another half hour only two platoons were left. These platoons were then lured into a valley and were practically destroyed with an earth spell that caused an earthquake that buried them under tonnes of boulders. While most of the mortals died, quite a few monsters survived, but thankfully they were weakened and were easily dispatched. I'm sure you already know this but two enemy half-bloods were captured and brought to the Big House for interrogation in that last attack." Percy thought giving specific details on his involvement in the attacks would raise more questions than he was ready to answer. "Afterward, my tasks mainly consisted of eradicating all enemy forces from within the Camp's grounds, which proved to be only monsters that were too stupid to recognise defeat. After the Camp's grounds were clear, the next objective was to scour the lands within a five kilometre radius of Camp and making sure it was clear. This was the largest area I could cover under the circumstances." He wasn't surprised by the disbelieving looks from most campers who had known him in his time at Camp. And some part of him, the part that had rejoiced in his escape from Camp and his growth in fighting skills, swelled with pride. He shook it away and concentrated on the task at hand.

"I'm sure you are all wondering just how Camp was penetrated, and by hordes of monsters at that. While clearing up the surrounding land, I came across enemy's attack base. I was quite fortunate to come upon the enemy's magicians, and I managed to stop them from committing suicide long enough to be able to get a rough picture of what happened." Percy reached into his small backpack and took out a large brown dossier. "In this dossier are all the enemy's documents that I found. I'm sure Chiron will share with you their contents once he's reviewed it himself." Percy indulged himself in a small smile before it disappeared. "The enemy has found a way to control monsters. The details are still a little fuzzy to me, and I will need some time to completely work through them, but from what I understand the enemy can control a wide array of monsters, given time to work on them. I'm sure you all noticed that the only humans near Thalia's tree from the enemy's side were those twin magicians that created the tear in the barriers. The rest of the enemy's forces were simply hundreds of monsters being mind controlled. It is thankful that one a monster is defeated and disintegrates the mind control is lifted, so we don't have to worry about the numbers simply increasing as time goes on. This information also reinforces that Camp was supposed to be taken over and not simply destroyed because there were a whole lot of half-bloods in the second army, the surprise army." Percy reached back into his backpack again and took out a thick bundle of rolled up canvass. While Chiron moved off the porch and onto the ground, Percy took out two kunai, unrolled the rectangular piece of canvass and pinned it high on the porch front so everyone could clearly see.

"I prepared this diagram to better explain what happened," he said. "You see, the barriers around camp are based on the Certainty Principle. Factual things like friend and foe, monster and half-blood. While the fact that any half-blood can enter, the fact that the enemy half-bloods have allied themselves with _him_ prevents them from entering as they will, only when they mean no harm to the residents inside the borders. But with samples of blood and hair, an Uncertainty Principle was created. The barriers could no longer distinguish between monster and human, enemy and friend. They went haywire, which is why you could see them. The second part, which I personally don't completely understand and maybe Chiron can figure out better, involved using an already existing breach as a gateway for the spells that ultimately created those holes you saw that the enemy used to enter." As he spoke Percy indicated to Ancient Greek runes and lines on the canvass, detailing how exactly everything happened. "The ritual spell that involved the hair and blood was very strong, so no normal person could do it. Another reason why no one else could do it is because it would require someone with an intimate knowledge of Camp Half-Blood as well as an emotional connection. This is the only way the magician would be sure not to be fried by the defensive energies powered by the Golden Fleece." Even though Percy had tried to find subtle enough words to go round the concept he was talking about, a few of the watching half-bloods stiffened and started muttering.

"Are you trying to call one of us a traitor?" A female voice. Silence followed the question, immediately followed by shouting, accusations, voices raised in anger and even a few drawn weapons. Percy understood. They needed information and reassurance after such an experience, not uncertainties and accusations, most certainly not from an abandoner like himself.

"Silence!" Chiron's voice seemed to be magnified a hundred times over. Very slowly the half-bloods managed to get back into their formations, although their animosity was palpable.

Percy looked at them impassively, his hands folded across his chest, before he continued. "I am not suggesting a traitor, no," Percy lied smoothly. "There are too many unknowns to come up with such a rash conclusion, and besides, as I'm sure Chiron will be happy to point out, there are many ways this could have been done. But…" Percy once again reached into his backpack, his gaze fixed on the half bloods. He took out a small plastic container. A black smudge was visible inside. "I found these burnt out blood and hair samples at the base. While they were completely burnt up and used, I managed to work out a weak tracking spell with them. The scent led me back here to Camp before the barriers prevented me from tracking once inside the borders. It's perfectly feasible that I was merely tracking an already dead enemy half-blood, it is also possible that I was getting near and in-"

"Perseus!" Chiron warned his gaze hard.

Percy sighed and raised his hands in surrender. "OK, Chiron, I give in. Besides, we should not be concentrating on how the first part of the breach occurred. It is the second part that should concern us. An already existing breach provided the opening for the enemy's magicians to turn our barriers against us. This breach needs to be found and closed to prevent this kind of incident from happening again." Percy paused and looked at the half-bloods. They had changed in the past hair. Even the Aphrodite girls and boy managed to actually keep serious expressions for this entire briefing. Talking so much after so many days and nights of silence and stalking was hurting his throat, he realised. He turned to Chiron. "Did Chris deliver the goods?" he asked.

"Not very useful," Chiron replied softly. "He wasn't that high up the chain of command, but it's a start."

Percy nodded. "Yes, we have to start somewhere. So, have you let them go yet?"

A puzzled look. "You actually intend to let them go?"

"I gave my word."

"Wait a minute!" Sam stepped forward, his face angry. "You are talking about those two traitors you caught? You can't let them go! They would have killed us all given the chance."

"Just because someone else would do something is no excuse to do it yourself. It's repugnant and indicative of an inferior mind."

"Who are you calling inferior?" Sam shouted his face livid. "And I think we all deserve a say in this decision, seeing as all our lives are in danger." _Shit_, Percy thought. _This kid is smart. He involved everyone in an emotional way that was sure to have them on his side. He should have been a ninja_. Shouts of agreement. Percy took a deep breath, hiding the spasms in his body. He was still weak. He needed a good rest to be back in peak mental and physical condition.

"This is war. Get used to feeling like you have a target painted on you chest. Now I gave my word that those two would be released if they cooperated. They have. Now they will be released without being harmed. If you have a problem with that, take it up with me." Quite a few people stepped forward. Percy resisted the temptation to roll his eyes in frustration. What was wrong with these people?

"Calm down!" Chiron shouted. He half turned toward Percy. "Even if they were to leave, they are in no condition to do so. They wouldn't survive a walk to Thalia's tree, let alone a whole trek back to wherever their home is." Percy frowned at the placating centaur before shrugging. Better not make an issue of it in public. Percy frowned and resisted the temptation to look to his right as he got a familiar feeling in his head. A second later:

"It looks like someone doesn't like you, Perseus." Everyone looked to Percy's right. Crouched on the railing of the porch was a guy who looked about nineteen. He was dressed similarly to Percy, in all-concealing black canvass clothes, and wearing greaves, vambraces, black-fur-covered metal pauldrons and fingerless gloves. He also wore a helm decorated with black fur that covered his whole head and framed his face. At his left hip was a katana longsword sheathed in a black scabbard. His smooth Asian features and raven black hair gave him an air of infinite patience and deadliness.

"I wasn't expecting you for another two days, Saru," Percy said, completely unruffled by this man's sudden appearance.

"You should be more accommodating and cordial with your allies, Perseus," Saru said as if Percy hadn't spoken.

"And enemies should be shown a measure of respect. They should know the value of our word just as we know theirs. It makes for easier talks later."

Saru cocked his head to one side, regarding the half-bloods in front of him. The sudden gesture emphasised his similarities with the monkey he was named after. "Very true," he agreed. "Where is John-sama?"

"Incapacitated. The demon proved to be more dangerous than previously indicated. Would you like to continue this conversation in more comfort inside? Chiron would like to get to know his allies better." It was best to get Saru out of the public eye now so there would be fewer questions later.

"I'm afraid I must decline, Perseus, Chiron-san. I will be picked up in a few more minutes. I came to give you a report."

"Oh?"

Saru fixed the half-bloods with a curious expression. "We were attacked a few nights ago, when you were attacked. The enemy numbers greater than we thought. We barely managed to escape with our lives. Many of us died. After great consideration, the Masters decided it best if we all disbanded and hid out in small groups, in the various safe houses, until we are needed. All our villages are abandoned." Saru reached into his jacket and drew out a scroll. "Full situation reports as well as a message from the Masters and our allies are contained in this scroll. Methods of communication, key locations, etcetera. Seeing as John-sama is incapacitated, I'm assuming you are the new nexus of information and contact, and general coordinator?"

"As well as Chiron," Percy said.

"Of course." Saru tossed the scroll to Percy without looking at him. Percy caught it and looked at Saru. Although they had only known each other for a few months the two had become great friends. Already they used no honorifics when speaking to each other, a sign of closeness in Saru's native Japanese culture. "At John-sama's request, our Clan has bequeathed you with a birthday gift." Saru reached beside him and lifted a bundle, which he also tossed to Percy. "A gift to an ally so he may better achieve his goals." With that Saru disappeared. Percy tossed the scroll to Chiron, sat down and slowly unwrapped the bundle in his lap with reverence. Chiron decided it was time to end this debriefing.

"Heroes. I know this is a lot to digest in such a short time. I will have more detailed information for you later. But please keep this in mind. In these dangerous and desperate times we need to be closer than ever if we are to survive. Bond, my heroes. We must stand united, and I will not tolerate any discrimination whatsoever. Now go and prepare for your first lessons. Oh, and by the way, tomorrow we begin the normal regime. You've had enough lazing about." A lot of groans and reluctant smiles. Chiron smiled down at them. They had thought they could get away with minimal training for a little bit longer. Chiron gave them another all encompassing stare. "That's all."

XXX

"This is all crazy," Sam muttered.

"You heard Chiron," Jack said. "We just don't know enough. We need to continue as if we know nothing until anything can be confirmed. Otherwise discord will consume us all and we might as well bow down to our enemies for all the good we will do."

A pause. "That is the most sensible thing I have ever heard you say," Marcy said.

Jack smirked. "What do you expect from a son of Athena?" The two stared at each other for a few more seconds longer than necessary before abruptly looking away. It was painfully obvious why they didn't pursue each other, of course. They were half-siblings. While incest was nothing to the Gods, to half-mortals… No one knew how they would feel about the situation, so it simply hung around the two as an issue. They might have the same mother, but that was in name alone. The ichors that ran through their veins were the same as those in every half-blood. It was how they affected the mind and body of the half-bloods that mattered. Was it so much of an issue? Marcy suddenly sighed and walked away. Jack pretended not to notice and walked his own separate way.

"Those two are becoming a problem," Sam muttered.

"Let them be," Annabeth said. "They will come to their own decision when the time is right, regardless of outside interference."

"Better be soon. It's affecting their performance in the squad. I would rather trust my life to people who were more decisive."

"Let it be, Sam," Annabeth said gently. Sam had a unique personality for a son of Athena, which was even rarer, in more than one way, because Athena rarely bore sons. He behaved more like a son of Ares, what with his unusual battle skills and his gruff temperament. But deep down inside he was a calm soul, caring and intelligent. Sam snorted and walked away.

"I'm going to get ready for the next lesson," he called back to her. Annabeth let him go. She had her mind full. She sighed. Percy was back. He had changed so much. She couldn't believe the impassive, well connected, _intelligent_ person who had been addressing them was the little seaweed-brain she had known a year earlier. Old feelings came rushing up. She had liked him, liked him a lot. Despite the rivalry between Athena and Poseidon, the two had developed a deep relationship. They would have gone through thick and thin together. Suddenly an image of Jon came into her mind. Lovely Jon, who had been there with her the past year. He was a nice boy, caring, and kind of cute in a clueless way. It didn't matter he was a son of Ares. He was different from the rest of them. And then another image came into her head. She groaned out loud, sat down on the ground and hugged her knees to her chest. Dear Luke. The love of her life. Ever since she was young he had been there for her, Luke and Thalia. They had been an unbeatable trio, moving from place to place, defeating all monsters in their way. What had gone wrong? Luke had grown bitter, that's what. She still couldn't believe he was gone. Thalia was off with Artemis and her Huntresses. Grover hadn't been to Camp in months. The only constant had been Jon. He had helped her more than she thought he realised. She smiled as she thought about him. Maybe he could help her move on.

"Ice cream for your thoughts?"

She looked up in alarm and nearly activated her cap. She smiled when she saw Jon standing there, an ice cream in each hand. She accepted the offered ice cream and he joined her there on the ground.

"How did you know strawberry is my favourite?" she asked.

"I have my sources," he said with a smile. She couldn't help smiling back. His smile was infectious. Another good point about him. They ate their ice cream in silence for a few minutes, comfortable in each other's company.

"Talk to him," Jon finally said.

"Who?" Annabeth said unconvincingly.

"Percy," Jon said looking at her. "No matter how things have changed, you were once very close friends. Find out his side of the story. Hear him out. Things can't have been easy for him, leaving his friends. From what I've heard he was a very loyal person. His words today indicated he still is. After all he went to such great lengths to help us out. He would not leave without good reason. Give him a chance to explain himself. Even if you can never return to being good friends, at least this wall that has grown between you will have reason to exist."

Annabeth sighed. "I know, I've thought about it. It's just that I don't think it will work, and even if it does, I don't think I will like the answers."

"He was your friend. He saved your life countless times, just like you saved him. That's a strong bond. You owe him at least an open ear." Jon's voice was quite hard. She looked at him, surprised at the change. He looked intently into her eyes. She looked away, her cheeks flushed.

"Okay," she mumbled. "I'll see."

"Hey, Annabeth." He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. Their faces were inches apart. "I'm just trying to help out." His voice had softened.

"… I know."

She didn't know how it started, but suddenly his lips were on hers. She sighed softly. She didn't know it would feel this good. She closed her eyes as his tongue entered her mouth. She tentatively met it with her own. He tasted of strawberry and something else she couldn't quite identify. It excited her. She drew closer to him and put her left hand behind his head, pulling him closer. He copied her, his hand on her back. She'd never found someone's touch so electrifying. She came up for air several times, not able to get enough of him. But finally they pulled away, slowly, reluctantly. Jon's pupils were dilated, and so were hers. Neither was surprised. It felt like they were drugged. Jon finally gathered his senses, a blush coming over his cheeks.

"Erm… not quite how I planned it," he muttered.

"Oh?" she asked, coming back to her senses. "How did you plan it?"

"I was getting to that part," he said, smiling at her. "Couldn't figure out the best way. A smart girl like you would see a setup a mile away."

"True," she said, the butterflies in her stomach making her glow. They just sat there for what seemed like forever, and at some point they began kissing again, slower, less frenzied. When they pulled apart they were holding hands.

"I know this might seem a bit redundant and overdue, but you know we never did get to finish our talk."

"We didn't?" she asked.

"No," he said earnestly. "Before the attack I meant to ask you-"

"Shhh," she said, putting a finger on his lips. "I was only joking."

"… Oh. Oh. Good." He smiled at her. "Tease." They smiled at each other.

"Ok, that's it! Even for a creature of nature I've pretty much had as much as I can take of this new love crap!" Startled, the two came up to their feet fast, Jon holding her slightly behind him. What met them was a half teenager, half goat combination: a satyr. A small goatee accompanied a lean face with angular features, a wry smirk and twinkling eyes. The torso was also lean and hard, like an athlete's, with corded muscles that could deliver greater power than they looked capable of. The goat half was built like wise, the brown pelt patched in places from healed wounds but otherwise quite fine.

"Grover!" Annabeth squealed, in a good mood after what had happened. She rushed forward and hugged her friend. He hugged her back, his deep voice loud and booming. She hugged his harder, closer, for a few more seconds, tears of joy streaming down her face. She pulled back from him and took him in. In the last few months he had changed considerably. He no longer looked like a gawky teenager. His voice had broken, his acne had cleared and his extensive travelling had gotten rid of any excess fat. He looked like a prime male satyr.

"It's good to see you, too, Annabeth," he said, smiling at her with those twinkling eyes.

"By the Gods," she breathed. "You've changed so much! I could barely believe my eyes!"

"Better believe it," Grover said with an easy confidence he hadn't possessed before. "How've you been?"

"I've been fine, great really! But it's you I should be asking. It's been four months Grover, and I've heard nothing from you, not a letter or an Iris message. I was worried! The other satyrs have just about written you off as dead!"

"Calm down, there will be time for explanations," Grover said, his smile widening. He had never seen Annabeth so expressive. Usually her words were more reserved, less hyper. He turned to Jon and although his smile stayed in place his demeanour cooled a degree.

"You remember Jon," she said not oblivious to Grover's scrutiny.

"Yes, of course I do." Grover offered a hand and Jon stepped forward to shake it. Annabeth pretended not to notice the unnecessarily hard gripping involved. "Nice to see you again."

"You, too. Annabeth's told me so much about you."

"Really? She should watch her mouth. She's liable to a little exaggeration now and then." Grover gave her a small smile and she smiled back. Grover did not ask any questions, simply respecting her decision. But she knew he would have his eye on Jon.

"Long time no see, man." Jon's eyes moved upwards and both Grover and Annabeth turned around as one. There, in a tree by the road, was Percy, standing on a branch, leaning against the trunk, his arms crossed over his chest. _How long has he been standing there?_ Annabeth couldn't help but the thinking, and the anger and embarrassment the thought brought in her confused her.

"Percy, man," Grover said, his grin widening. "Truly long time. I was wondering if you'd just slink away or you'd actually say hello."

"Grover, man, I'm hurt," Percy said with a wounded expression. "As if you could think that of me." Percy tilted his head to one side. "You Senses have come in," he said finally. He smiled. "Lucky prick. What I'd give for those."

"They have an accompanying responsibility," Grover said seriously whilst managing to keep smiling.

"I know, I know," Percy said. "The poison dart in the raison tart. But it would still be worth it."

"If you're that serious, I'll see what I can do."

Percy blinked. His mouth hung open for a second. "…What?"

Grover laughed. "Close your mouth, man; you look like a fish out of water." Grover laughed even harder at his joke and Percy couldn't help but grin.

"You've changed," Percy said still smiling. "We should catch up sometime."

"Yeah," Grover said smoothly. "Us three haven't been together in a year. I'll see you later and we can talk," Grover said turning round and walking away, giving neither Annabeth nor Percy a chance to argue. He didn't know what had happened between the two, but his senses were never wrong … well, maybe once or twice or thrice or … look, the _point_ was that he sensed something was off and this little get-together could clear things up. "Gotta go and get ready for my review with the Council of Cloven Elders."

"You mean you're gonna sneak a smooch with you little dryad friend?" Grover whirled around faster than thought, his face pale and his mouth open in shock.

"How did you…?" Even as he had been whirling round Percy had activated the piston mechanism in his right vambraces, fired it off behind him and let himself be pulled off the branch and deeper into the forest. As Grover began talking he began laughing, both from the giddy feeling he got from flying through the air and from Grover's expression.

"I'm gonna murder him," Grover muttered darkly as he walked away.

Jon came up from behind Annabeth and held her close to him. "Looks like you've got your chance," he murmured into her ear.

"Yes," she murmured back. Inside she was wondering if it would be worth it. The warm welcome Grover had received was more than he'd given her. In fact, he hadn't even acknowledged her since he'd come back. Had things changed that much between them?

"Come on," Jon said. "Let's go to our lessons. We're in already enough trouble as it is. Thank the gods Chiron is busy, otherwise the punishments would be the death of us." He wasn't being figurative.

"The small mercies," she said, smiling again. Jon _understood her_. She could trust in him. Together they walked toward the Palaestra for their unarmed combat class.


End file.
